


Of Princes and Castles

by Shadowinflame



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Blood, Blood and Injury, Choking, Crosstale Sans (Undertale), Crosstale Sans/Dreamtale Nightmare Sans (Undertale), Depression, Dreamtale Nightmare Sans (Undertale), Dreamtale Sans | Dream (Undertale), Ecto-Genitalia (Undertale), Ecto-Tongue (Undertale), Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Emotional Trauma, Flashbacks, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Self-Harm, Ink puking ink, Inktale Sans (Undertale), Inktale Sans/Dreamtale Sans | Dream (Undertale), Kings and Castles - Alternate Universe, M/M, Mild Language, Minor Violence, NSFW chapter, Nightmares, Past Abuse, Prince!Cross, Prince!Dream, Servant!Nightmare, Uncorrupted!Nightmare, anger issues, brotherly Dreammare, skipable NSFW
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-04-16
Updated: 2020-12-24
Packaged: 2021-02-23 03:48:08
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 24
Words: 67,016
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23671858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Shadowinflame/pseuds/Shadowinflame
Summary: Dream and Cross are the princes of two opposing kingdoms. To seal a peace treaty, the two kings decided to marry their sons to each other.Dream didn't believe in fairytales of knights in shining armour. So as he found his, he wasn't surprised he didn't wear anything resembling armour at all.Cross disliked the arranged marriage as much as Dream did. Is it weird how you always fall for the people you aren't allowed to have?Nightmare never believed he could be treated like a person by anyone except for Dream.Ink just wanted to paint and  somehow live to see the next day.In a world full of clichés and a lot of gay that is never questioned - how bad - or romantic can this get?
Relationships: Cross/Nightmare, Dream/Ink, Sans/Sans (Undertale), drink - Relationship
Comments: 142
Kudos: 163





	1. Chapter 0: Concepts

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi!  
> Quick reminder this is NOT Cream (Cross x Dream) in case anyone missed that?  
> ALSO I desined new outfits for Dream and Cross to make them look more ... uh "royal" I guess?  
> I'm not an artist... but you get to see my crappy drawings anyway!
> 
>  **Edit:** These are my digital redesigns!! My art skills improved a little since I started this fic hahaha  
> Old designs can be viewed [here](https://theblackbutterfly02.tumblr.com/post/615587892534935552/soooo-im-kinda-working-on-a-new-fanfiction-in)

So I'm literally just throwing my bad drawings at you now!

Ok first: Dreams desing! 

So for Cross I decided to keep it X-themed, yeah xD So instead of giving him Nightmare’s tiara I desined one that forms a cross, pretty similar to Dreams.

Yeah, that's pretty much it. Now that that's cleared up, I will not stop you from reading the first chapter! (If you want, that is)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And onwards to the actual chapter 1!


	2. Chapter 1: Introduction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (of course Nightmare wouldn't be wearing his tiara in this, as he's a servant)

Dream was standing at the window, looking outside.  
“So it's really going to happen tomorrow, isn't it? I knew all my life, that I was only a pawn for my father to get his will, but this makes it so painfully obvious.”  
“My prince, please, try to stay optimistic. You might actually like him”, Nightmare said from behind Dream. At least he could talk openly with his servant.  
“I am always optimistic Night, but I don't drown myself in delusions. This is not the kind of fairytale where the princess goes into an arranged marriage to find out she loves the prince she was promised to. This is my father selling me off to the kingdom in the north to confirm the arrangement of an eternal peace treaty”, Dream turned around to look at Nightmare. “Is everything set for tomorrow?”  
“I packed your things like you asked. Before breakfast I'll take them down and saddle the horses. You won't have to worry about a thing.”  
“I'm so glad I have you as my personal servant. Knowing that you'll be coming with me makes this bearable.”  
“Please bear in mind I'm only a servant and you shouldn't-”  
“If I want to see you as my friend that's just what I'll do.”  
As much as Dream liked Nightmare as his servant he hated that the other seemed unable to accept Dreams kindness. He knew that it was because of how everyone treated Nightmare like he was even less than the other servants but Dream was really trying his best to make Nightmare see that to him, he was a person.  
“And now you're free for the rest of the day. I'd suggest you to get some sleep though, it'll be a rough day tomorrow.”  
With that, Dream dismissed his servant, who bowed before leaving to his own room.

The next day Nightmare got up a little earlier than his usual time. He picked up the luggage he packed for Dream and the smaller bag he packed for himself, which he conveniently took to his room the day before so he wouldn't have to wake his prince this early. He went down to the stable and readied the horses.  
After that workout he showered in the servants barracks and got dressed in his usual outfit: purple tunic, black pants. Now it would be time to wake the prince.  
He grabbed a piece of bread from the kitchen before going though. Quick breakfast for today.

He made sure to be as silent as possible upon entering Dreams room. Seeing the prince relaxed in his sleep, Nightmare always saw the brother he could never have. Like this, it almost hurt that he couldn't just tell him, that he had to keep his distance – emotionally – so that he wouldn't slip up and say something he would regret later. So that Dream never knew.  
It was time to wake him anyway.  
“My prince, it is time to get up”, Nightmare said softly from next to the bed.  
Dream slowly opened his eyes. “Already?”  
“You still have to shower and get dressed, breakfast's a little earlier today, remember?”  
Dream rubbed his eyes and sat up in bed. A tired and confused boy, not a prince and far from royalty at that moment. Nightmare was happy to be the only one to witness him like this.  
As Dream slowly woke up he seemed to remember.  
“Right, that was today, heh. How could I forget the day my freedom would get taken from me completely.”  
“Sarcastic as always, I see. Now to get you to the bathroom”, Nightmare held out his hand.  
Dream took it and let Nightmare get him out of bed.  
“Fine, then get my clothes for today, I'll meet you there.”  
And with that, the prince was out of the room. Well, his personal bathroom was just down the hallway anyway. He'd get there. Nightmare collected the clothes the prince would wear today and walked to the bathroom as well.  
Dream was in the shower already.  
“You okay in there, my prince?”  
“Nightmare, really, I'm 20 years old, I can shower by myself! Just make sure there's a towel once I get out of here.”  
“Will do!”  
The prince really wasn't in his best mood today. Though, that was to be expected. He hated this arranged marriage with a prince he had never met before. And Nightmare couldn't even blame him for it.  
Moments later Dream walked out of the shower and into the towel Nightmare already held ready for him. He allowed his servant to help dry him up and then to dress him. Nightmare was so gentle that he almost looked forward to mornings like this. Dream didn't like how his servants did almost everything for him, it made him feel dependent. He wanted a little control over his own life too. But with Nightmare it was different. He felt like he could allow things like this.  
Dream looked at himself in the mirror. Yellow tunic, black pants and a cape that had the kingdoms crest on it. Nightmare stood behind him, holding a golden object over his head. Right, the small crown. Dream sighted as Nightmare placed it on his head. It wasn't physically heavy, yet it felt like a burden was placed upon him whenever it was placed on his head at the morning.  
Dream turned around, looking at Nightmare.  
“I really don't feel like talking to my father a lot today, will you ride next to me?”  
“If that is what you wish I will do so”, Nightmare answered.  
“Great. Take me to the dining hall then.”  
And with that they left the bathroom and went to breakfast.

“Good morning your Majesty”, Nightmare bowed in greeting to the king who already sat at the table. He got a nod in return, though the king didn't even bother looking at him.  
Nightmare pulled back the chair Dream usually sat at to help his prince sit down. Then he placed himself next to Dream, standing and awaiting possible orders.  
“How do you feel today, Dream?”, the king asked more out of politeness than actual care.  
Dream put on his happy mask even though he really didn't feel it. He just wanted to get over this.  
“Oh, I'm really exited to meet the king and prince, of course! I've got a feeling we'll get along just fine, so don't worry.”  
“And you are sure you want to bring that disgrace with you?”  
Nightmare kept a straight face though inside he flinched, knowing that this comment was pointed at him.  
“He is my personal servant, father. I will be staying in a foreign castle for a presumably long time so I at least want someone I can trust with me. He is coming with us, whether you like it or not.”  
Dream was agitated at his fathers distaste of Nightmare but he kept smiling non the less.  
The rest of the breakfast was spent in silence. After he finished Dream turned to Nightmare.  
“Get me some of those buns for the way, would you?”  
“I'm on my way, prince.” And with that Nightmare disappeared, only to come back with a full pack of fresh buns minutes later.  
He helped Dream get up and bowed to the king.  
“I will lead you to your horses now”, Nightmare said.

The guide that the king asked for was already at the stables, waiting. Dream was thankful that his father immediately went to talk to him so he was spared of further talk. He watched as Nightmare stored the buns on one of the horses and then came over to him to help him onto his horse. Dream and his father had beautiful white horses to represent their kingdom, while the guide had a brown one and Nightmare a pitch black one. Dreams father claimed it suited his dark soul and aura. Dream refused to believe it.  
After everyone was on their horses they started their journey. The king in line with the guide, Dream and Nightmare next to each other behind them. Nightmare wasn't one to initiate a conversation and Dream didn't feel like having a meaningless chitchat right now so most of the ride was spent in silence, save for Dream asking for a bun every now and then. They were good, after all.

They arrived at the northern kingdoms castle far past lunchtime and were greeted by the kings servants. Nightmare helped Dream to get off his horse and turned away, ready to leave.  
“Wait Night, aren't you coming with me?”, Dream asked confused.  
“This meeting is no place for a servant, no matter how close I am to you”, Nightmare smiled at him. “I will take care of the horses. Then I'll take our stuff to our rooms and see that your room is to your liking. Don't worry, I will meet you in your room this evening after the meeting. Now go, they are waiting for you.”  
“Right. Save me the buns, okay?”, Dream said and turned to go to his father and the guide.  
They were led to a big placa at the central of the castle. There they were greeted by a boy about Dreams age, wearing the black and white colours of the northern realms and a tiara not unlike Dreams own and a tall man wearing the same colours and a full fledged crown, the king most likely.  
“I am very happy to greet you in my castle, king and prince of the southern realm”, the king spoke. “I am further exited to introduce you to my son, Cross”, he pointed to the boy standing next to him. Dream could see Cross was wearing a fake smile matching his very own. This was getting … interesting. “If you will excuse me then, I will leave the two of you to get to know each other while I discuss the important matters with the king.”  
And with that both the elders left to the castle. Dream felt lost without Nightmare, yet he would get through this.  
_Just smile, Dream!_  
“Hello, my Name is Dream, it is a pleasure to meet you”, Dream said in his best excited voice, holding out his hand.  
Cross shook his hand.  
“Likewise. My father already introduced me, but I am Cross.”  
Cross sounded... less excited, but he wore a smile non the less.  
“We are supposed to get to know each other, so would you like to go to the gardens or my room for now?”  
Thinking about the loveless gardens he knew from his kingdom Dream decided that he wouldn't want to see them anytime soon.  
“I've had enough nature for now. Take me to your room, please.”  
At that, Cross led him trough the castle to the second floor and to a room on the far right of the hallway. The castle was huge and he would probably get lost here.  
For how big Cross' room was it was pretty minimalistic in furniture. A bed, wardrobe, a coffee-table surrounded by a sofa and some chairs. A bunch of shelves littered with... all kinds of things Dream didn't bother to identify. All in the kingdoms usual black and white stile.  
“You can sit down if you want. Is there anything you need? Snacks or a drink maybe?”  
Dream walked over to sit on the sofa.  
“I'll have some water.”  
Cross rang a bell to tell a servant that almost immediately stood at his door to get some water, then he sat down next to Dream.  
“First impressions, any questions? Should I start?”  
“Your room is nice, but... can I have mine in more yellow? Sorry to bother, but I don't exactly feel home yet.”  
“That can certainly be arranged. I think you will like the room I picked for you.”  
At that moment the servant knocked and came into the room after Cross allowed them in and Dream got his water. He really needed that.  
“So, do you have any hobbies?”, Dream started.  
“Well, I do a lot of things in my room, but I wouldn't say I'm good at them. I like drawing but I'm really crap at it. I started making paper flowers and stuff like that recently. But I really like to just relax in the gardens with a good book from time to time. What about you?”  
_You could get along with Night. I have seen him spend his free minutes with books a lot._ , Dream thought.  
“My father made me study a lot of things so I spend a lot of time reading, though I don't necessarily like it. Funnily enough my servant told me how to play piano a few years ago. I... spend a lot of time with him, though I probably shouldn't. My father hates it.”  
“I don't see anything wrong with that. We are trying to be as human to our servants as possible.”  
_Thank goodness. At least Nightmare will be treated better here_ , was all the positive thoughts Dream could manage.

The princes talked a lot, as they were told to somehow pass time until dinner with each other. Though they quickly got away from personal questions. They talked about places in the castle, even the city that was a few minutes on horse away. And as the evening was nearing, not only the sky but also their conversation got darker.  
“Hey, Cross, let's be honest about this whole 'arranged marriage' thing?”, Dream stared into his almost empty glass of water.  
“So you also realized this isn't getting anywhere? I mean, I really appreciate how you managed to stay excited for so long, but I knew from the beginning that you can't just throw together two strangers and tell them to love each other. Don't get me wrong, I can see you as a friend without problems. That's probably what we'll be if this goes through, right?”  
“Yeah, life is no fairytale, I knew that. And yet, I know that our people need this peace to work out. If we have to marry to get this, I'll do it without thinking twice. I just want you to know that, no matter how much we try, this doesn't seem to go anywhere.”  
“I said I appreciate your happiness but I really appreciate your honesty too. A shame that no one will get to love you in the future. You would have been a great boyfriend”, Cross said with a sad smile.  
“Don't play yourself down. You have your own good sides”, Dream told him with a stern look.  
“Well, it's about dinner time, so let me guide you to our dining hall, Dream”, Cross stood up and held a hand out for Dream.  
“Should we play lovesick fools to our parents?”, Dream asked as he took the hand.  
“Might help them in their negotiation? That's what you are thinking too, right?”  
“Yeah. I just want this to be over soon.”  
“Me too. Let's do this and hope for the best then.”  
And with that they went down to the dining hall.

They both greeted the two kings that were waiting at the table respectively and sat down on the table next to each other, opposite of Dreams father.  
“So boys, have you had a nice first meet up?”, Cross' father asked.  
“Oh, yes sir. Your son is an amazing person. I can already tell this is the start of an amazing relationship”, Dream chimed in fake happiness.  
“I think, I'm in love with him father”, Cross smiled, “His happiness is really contagious.”  
“Well, I'm glad you two get along”, the king nodded.  
“This will help our arrangement”, Dreams father agreed.  
And then they started eating in relative silence. Dream and Cross played lovebirds and passed each other various items during dinner to help the picture their fathers wanted.  
After dinner they each said their goodbyes for the night and Cross took Dream to show him his own room.

“So, where is it?”  
“It's on the same floor as mine so you can quickly come over if there's a problem. And we heard you have something like a personal servant? I have been told you wanted to bring him with you?”  
“Oh, yeah. He told me he would see to my room while we had our meeting.”  
“You're going to like what comes next. So, we have these rooms, that are designed for a case like that, but never got to use them since I never found someone fitting for such a position. It's a master room fitting for a prince that is connected to a servant sized room through a door that can be locked. Both rooms can be entered trough separated doors from the front and the servant room is better furnished then the barracks.”  
Dreams eyes widened. He would never have dreamed to have Nightmare that close. That was the first time he genuinely smiled that day.  
“Night is going to like this”, he whispered more to himself. “I'm glad you are treating my servant well, without even knowing him. He'll enjoy an actual bed for once.”  
“If there's someone who earned your trust, he deserves mine as well. That's something I want to live by.”  
“Thank you, Cross”, Dream just couldn't stop smiling.  
And they arrived at the room. Cross wished him a good night before walking off to his own room. Dream opened the door.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay! You made it to the end of chapter 1 somehow! I'm proud of you!  
> Now, tell me you where here, please?  
> Just leave a coment to tell me anyone actually wants a 2nd chapter?  
> Well, thanks for being here!  
> Bye.


	3. Chapter 2: On a moonlit Night

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The same day as chapter 1, but it's Nighty's PoV.

“Wait Night, aren't you coming with me?”, Dream asked him.  
“This meeting is no place for a servant, no matter how close I am to you”, Nightmare tried his best at a reassuring smile. “I will take care of the horses. Then I'll take our stuff to our rooms and see that your room is to your liking. Don't worry, I will meet you in your room this evening after the meeting. Now go, they are waiting for you.”  
“Right. Save me the buns, okay?”And just like that, Dream left.  
It pained him to see Dream like this, but that was just something he had to get through. Nightmare could cheer him up later today, but for now he had enough chores at the new court he was at.  
He took the horses to the castles stables and started taking the luggage and saddles off. Three of the castles servants came to help him. He told them which pack belonged to whom and they started carrying it of to the right place while Nightmare got to combing and feeding the horses. One of the servants had stayed to help him with the task.  
They seemed determined to get him into a conversation.  
“So, you're the young prince's personal, huh?”, the woman asked.  
“Yes, I am. Is there something wrong with that?”, Nightmare wasn't in the mood for whatever was to come. He didn't know the layout of this place, so if he got hurt here, he wouldn't even know where he could be left alone to treat his wounds.  
“I always wondered, is it hard? Does he ask a lot of you? What is the young master like?”  
Okay? Nightmare was expecting an assault, not a bunch of questions.  
“Uh, well, I've been his personal servant ever since I can remember, but from what I know it may differ in tasks but it's not harder then the regular servant stuff. But then again my master tries to do as much on his own as he can. He is very kind to me. Just as you are, which surprises me. You must have been told stories?”  
“About the demon of the south? The servant with the black soul, yeah. But, you see, our kingdom isn't what the rumours state, either. So our prince kind of forged that mentality to never judge someone before we haven't met them. You don't seem anything like the stories.”  
“It would be bold of me to say that it is because I am not. I don't know if I could be like that, honestly. But I try to be my best for my prince.”  
“It seems like you really like your prince. Our young master had a really nice garden arranged a few years ago. You should take the prince there if you don't have plans for the evening.”  
“I'll think about it”, Nightmare smiled. It might be worth it.  
The conversation eased him enough for him to not even realize that the task was done before the female servant spoke up again.  
“I was tasked with showing you around the castle. If you would follow me..”  
Nightmare nodded and so his journey through the wide halls of the castle started.  
Dining hall, kitchen, storage and so on. All the important rooms a servant needed to know. If she wasn't talking about the layout of the castle she was trying to tell him the 'rules' of the castle. After about an hour they stopped in front of a room on the second floor. She explained that prince Cross' room was on the far end of the floor and went on to explain the master/servant room combination he and Dream were assigned to. The female servant ended up giving him a map of the castle and an explanation of how to get to the gardens before she left to do her own tasks.  
Nightmare entered the servant room. And stood in shock for a few minutes.  
He got an actual bed, an own desk and _shelves_ on the walls for his things. He barely brought spare outfits and two books, what was he supposed to do with this room? The bed felt nice though.  
Then he tried the door in the middle. He could easily get to Dream like this. Dreams room, however, would need some work. While Nightmare didn't mind the black and white aesthetic of the northern realms he just knew Dream would want some yellow in his room. So he went to exchange the black curtains with white ones and put yellow blankets on the bed. It looked brighter immediately. Dream would like this.  
After Nightmare was done with the redesigning of the room he started to unpack the things Dream brought, then went to put his own things into place. After he was happy with the overall look of both rooms he sat down on the bed to study the castle's map a little better. Dream would need someone to know the way so he wouldn't get lost. The bed felt amazing.  
Yet he couldn't allow himself to rest yet.

He didn't know how long it had been, but he felt like he had a good plan around the castle by now. And he heard voices outside the door.  
Nightmare knew Dream had entered the room as he heard a gasp and the a knock on the door connecting both rooms.  
“Night, are you here?”, Dreams voice sounded trough the door.  
“I am, my prince.”  
“Come over?”  
Nightmare took the invitation and entered Dreams room.  
“So, how do you like it?”, Nightmare asked, though he already got his answer by just looking at Dream.  
“See, Nigh, I was in Cross' room today and I told him I wanted some yellow in my room but I don't remember calling someone to tell you. I really like what you did here.”  
Dream sat down at his bed and smiled at Nightmare. Nightmare thought his soul melted at the sight.  
“This place is huge, not just the castle, the rooms too”, Dream told him, still smiling. “And, how do you like your room? I like having you close to me. I'm also glad to hear you have a good bed in there.”  
“It is a lot of, well, room. The bed is the greatest thing ever. The room itself is still very empty but maybe I'll get a chance to put some stuff in. I'm not putting pressure on you though. How did it go with the prince?”  
Nightmare regretted ever asking only a second later. It hurt, seeing Dreams smile falter until it disappeared completely. But he had to ask, nontheless.  
“Whatever hopes I had, they are shattered now. This isn't a world of happy princesses and charming princes on white horses. Cross is not a bad person, he feels like a good friend, really. But that's all he will ever be to me. He is kind, he told me a lot about this kingdom. I am truly happy that this is the place we will stay for the rest of our lifes, because it seems like you can finally be a person. They won't judge you, isn't that amazing, Night?”  
Even though Dreams smile was genuine Nightmare saw hints of tears in his eyes. Dream wasn't lying about being happy, but he was happy for Nightmare, while he was unsure whether to smile or cry about his own fate.  
Nightmare didn't know what to answer.  
“Permission to hug you, prince?”, really, hugging Dream was all he could think about. That was what a brother would do, after all.  
“Permission given”, Dream said.  
And as Nightmare's arms met his back a single tear fell from his eyes. He let himself relax into the touch of his servant as he rested his head on Nightmare's shoulder. This was wrong and he knew it. This was not the kind of relationship he should have with his servant. They both shouldn't be so attached to each other. And yet it felt like, if he stayed right here, in Nightmare's embrace, nothing in the world could harm them. Yet they had to part.  
“Thank you, Nightmare”, Dream whispered and that was Nightmare's clue to let go.  
Nightmare wasn't sure if this was the right moment to ask, knowing Dreams distaste of the matter, but...  
“I heard that they have an amazing garden at the castle, so I was wondering if you wanted to visit it?”  
“Sorry Night, that's the last thing I want right now, you understand, don't you?”  
Nightmare nodded.  
“You can go on your own though. I like the way you arranged my room so I will probably just go to sleep now. It was a long day for both of us so you should consider doing the same, too. But I know you got a thing for nature, so if you want to see the garden, you can go. I'll dismiss you for today.”  
Nightmare bowed.  
“Thank you, my prince. I will take you up on your offer. Do you need help getting ready for bed?”  
“Night, I told you I'm not a child. I can get changed on my own.”  
“As you wish. Have a restful sleep, Dream.”  
And so Nightmare left.

The sun had disappeared about half an hour ago and a bright, almost full moon lit the way as Nightmare slowly walked towards the garden. He was told the garden looked beautiful, yet he didn't expect anything near as astonishing as what he saw when he entered the area.  
The garden had a big fountain in the centre, which, illuminated by the moon, gave of a faint blue glow. There were some big trees and benches placed around the fountain. But the most gorgeous things were the flowers. Beds of flowers blooming even though the moon stood on the sky. Flowers blooming at night, Nightmare only heard and read of them, now he could actually see them.  
Nightmare walked through the garden, slowly. He let his hand glide through the water, cold, yet not uncomfortable. He kneeled down to get a closer look at the flowers, touch their petals. It was unlike anything he ever felt before. Then, he finally decided to sit down on a bench. A light wind picked up, rustling through his clothes and carrying the smell of the flowers to him and he closed his eyes. If he didn't know he was in a foreign kingdom, in another kings castle he would have though he found the paradise. He was so caught up in his thoughts he didn't even notice that someone sat down next to him.  
After a few minutes he opened his eyes again, only to find a person sitting next to him. For a few seconds Nightmare was too perplexed to think straight, but as his mind slowly came to him he scanned the person. Black and white clothing, he looked about the same age as Dream and he wore a small crown...  
Nightmare shot up from the bench and bowed.  
“Y-your highness, I didn't notice you were here. My deepest apologies.”  
“Raise your head and sit back down. I didn't mean to startle you, as you looked too peaceful at the moment I arrived here. If I wanted to see you bow I would have said so.”  
Nightmare just got more confused by the second, but did as he was told and sat back down.  
“I haven't seen you here before, so I'm assuming you came with the visitors from the south?”, the prince asked. “Do you have a name?”  
“Y-yes. I am Nightmare, the personal servant of prince Dream.”  
“You probably already guessed, but I am prince Cross, the soon-to-be fiancée of your beloved prince. Now tell me, what brought you to my garden?”  
“As I was doing my chores at the stable on of your servants told me that there is a beautiful garden in your castle. I initially wanted to take the prince here to relax, but he told me he had other plans and dismissed me for today. So I came here to clear my mind. Though, if my presence is to your disliking in any way, I'll take my leave.”  
“You can stay, don't worry. We can talk a little”, Cross smiled at Nightmare.  
“I really don't know how a talk with a servant like me could benefit you, your highness.”  
By now, Nightmare was really worried. If anyone saw him talking with the young prince, he couldn't even think of the consequences. The whole kingdoms peace could be at stake.  
“I'm curious, really. You seemed so at ease and in thought when I arrived here. Do you like this garden? Or nature in general?”  
“You are evading my question...”, Nightmare said, silently.  
“You aren't answering me either.”  
“I... well I never knew, what it was that bound me to nature. Maybe it is just born from me having been trained as a servant since I can remember. So I was stuck inside, doing chores all day. Maybe I just have a thing for nature, regardless. And this garden, specifically. My prince's kingdom wouldn't even touch the thought of putting a single night blooming flower in a garden, but making a whole garden with a night-theme is so advanced it just captivated me.” Nightmare explained while his hand unconsciously touches one of said flowers.  
“I feel flattered”, Cross laughed, “Seeing as I designed this garden on my own. And here I thought no one shared my love for this kind of aesthetic.”  
“Pardon me?”, Nightmare was confused.  
“Nobody ever comes here. See, all I wanted was a garden, a place people could relax at and see some flowers. What I got was a garden no one visits. The only one who comes here am I. Though I am not complaining, as that just makes it my own place, somewhere I can think. But having someone here, who appreciates it as much as I do is a nice change”, Cross smiled at Nightmare.  
Nightmare didn't know what it was about the prince next to him, but it got him flustered. A soft purple blush formed on his face.  
_It's just because he treats me like a person_ , Nightmare told himself. Certainly, he would get disgusted like everyone else and tell Nightmare to leave sooner or later.  
“Back to my question then”, Nightmare pushed.  
“You answered mine, time to repay the favour”, Cross laughed. “But it was pure curiosity. Because you were sitting here and I never saw someone here. I don't care whether you're a servant or a noble, I finally found someone who appreciates my garden. I wanted to know, why.”  
“You _do_ know who I am, I know that my king told you the stories. So why are you still so... so...”, Nightmare couldn't finish his sentence, it felt like someone strangled him.  
“Why am I still so kind? You haven't done anything bad. Dream really likes you, he trusts you. I don't need any more reason.”  
Laughing at the answer he got, Nightmare stood up.  
“Well, it's getting late. I'll take my leave now, and you shouldn't stay out much longer either, prince. It is getting cold.”  
And Nightmare left.  
Cross still sat in the garden until his bones nearly froze, thinking about this strange servant, with rumours always a step ahead of him. He completely mystified the poor prince.  
But Nightmare couldn't get the weird prince of his head either, as he laid down on his bed that night. How dare he make Nightmare open up like this? It wasn't fair.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (I'm sorry, this is me rambling and you can just ignore this if you want, so)  
> Short: Comments motivate me, so at least tell me you were here? Thanks!
> 
> Long: So i've been feeling like absolute shit lately.  
> I started this story super motivated and wrote like the first 6k words (so I actually wrote this chapter earlier, too. I've been working on the 3rd already, I just wanted that at least halfway done before posting this, sorry) but after posting the first chapter I got hit hard by my depression again.  
> I will finish this story, so no need to worry about that.  
> It's just that, right now I could use some motivating comments, or the reassurance someone reads this at all?  
> I had a good span of motivation for about two weeks and wrote down a list of things I wanted to write and actually posted four works on here! But my depression's been haunting me for a good four years by now and I dreaded it's return.  
> Well, if you made it to here, thanks for hearing me out.  
> Hope you enjoyed the chapter! Untill the next!


	4. Chapter 3: A visitor

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Introducing Ink.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for the kind comments on my last chapter!  
> I hope my motivation is back? I've been feeling better lately.

Nightmare got up later than he would normally, as today he had no chores save for whatever Dream would ask for. For now, he too was treated as a guest. Partially because he couldn't be trusted with important tasks in the castle yet, partially because he was needed to keep Dream from getting lost.  
So he got dressed and ready, ate some leftovers from their ride and went to Dreams room.  
To his surprise he found a fully dressed and awake prince sitting at the windowsill, looking outside.  
“Oh, Night, time to get up it seems?”, Dream asked innocently, without looking at his servant.  
“You didn't sleep well, my prince”, it was less a question and more a statement.  
“Don't worry, it's not the bed, or any noises, since there are none here, that would keep me from sleeping. Maybe I was just overthinking”, Dream turned to look at his servant and smiled. “How was you first night in something that is not our servant barracks, Night?”  
“I slept well. The bed is just as good as it looks”, Nightmare answered truthfully.  
“I'm glad. Well, since we probably got some minutes before breakfast, why don't you sit down and we have a little talk?”, Dream gestured towards his bed.  
Nightmare nodded and sat down.  
“How's the windowsill, prince?”, Nightmare mocked.  
“Heeyy, that's not funny Nighty”, Dream pouted. With a sigh he added: “Actually a great place to sit, though. I can see the whole plaza from here. A lot going on... It's lively. Nothing like home... in a good way.”  
A little pause and Dream turned away from the window to look his servant up and down.  
“Wow, I can't remember the last time you looked this well rested”, Dream smiled. “And how was your little excursion to the garden?”  
Nightmare thought for a moment. He couldn't tell Dream he met Cross there, so he settled for something... else.  
“A nice place, you might actually enjoy it, prince. It's quiet, safe for the water of the fountain and the flowers bloom at night. A beautiful view, with the moon shining bright.”  
“Sounds like a romantic place... but you'd need someone special to go there...”, Dream sighed. “I should stop dreaming. I actually wanted to tell you that I had planned something for today. I know that I should probably get to know the castle a little better so I won't have to ask you to guide me, but today I want to visit the city. Now, don't give me that look, Night. I need to get away from here. I don't hate Cross and I don't want to worry you, but I want to use my freedom to it's fullest as long as I still can. So, I want to go alone, without you or Cross. And I would like to go in civil... or as civil as possible. I want to not be a prince for a few hours. Think you can get something ready for me?”  
“Do you think they will agree to it? You going alone to the city while the kings are fully into their negotiation?”, Nightmare worried.  
“See, that's the point. I will ask Cross to let me leave, It'll be only a few hours, so I'll be back before lunch. With our fathers too busy selling their sons for peace no one will notice my absence.”  
Nightmare drew in a long breath before answering.  
“I'm in no position to decline your request, so I'll await prince Cross' answer and do what I can to make you look like a civilian, should he agree.”  
“Thank you, Night”, Dream smiled bright enough to make Nightmare forget what he just agreed to. It was smiles like this that he lived for.  
“And now it's about time you show me to the dining hall”, Dream still smiled and got off the windowsill.  
As soon as they got out of the room they almost ran into Cross, who seemingly just got out of his own room moments ago.  
“Oh, good morning Cross”, Dream chimed. “Great to meet you before we got to the dining hall. Now I can introduce you to my servant Nightmare!”  
Nightmare bowed. “Good morning, prince Cross.”  
“Nice to meet you, Nightmare. I'm sure we will get along just fine.”  
Their eyes met for a moment and Nightmare thanked whatever god would listen, that Cross didn't take the opportunity to tell him out.  
“So, Cross, can you come to my room after breakfast? I've got some things to talk about”, Dream asked innocently.  
“Sure, I don't have plans for today yet”, Cross shrugged. “But for now, let's all get down for breakfast.”  
Dream and Cross both put on their perfect masks and went down the hall holding hands. Nightmare followed behind them.  
As soon as they arrived in the dining hall the princes greeted their fathers while Nightmare bowed to his king.  
“Good morning, your Majesty.”  
“Ah, you must be the young prince's servant, Nightmare”, Cross' father spoke to him. “Nice to meet you.”  
“It is a pleasure”, Nightmare bowed to him.  
Then Nightmare helped Dream to sit down next to Cross and stood back a little to watch the royals enjoy their breakfast.  
Nightmare knew Dream well enough to read the young prince's body language and even though Dream tried his best to play the lovesick boy the rulers wanted to see, his whole body screamed for him to get away from them as fast as possible. Cross always said he liked Dreams cheerful attitude, yet he looked uneasy the whole time. He was trying his best to play along though.  
After what felt like an eternity for everyone, but was only breakfast the princes happily excused themselves to their rooms and the kings went their ways too. Nightmare followed Dream and Cross to the room Dream stayed in.  
The door shut behind them and both visibly relaxed, even though Dream was still a little tense. And he had every reason to be, considering what he would ask within minutes.  
“Glad that is over”, Dream sighed as he leaned on a wall, crossing his arms and facing Cross.  
“So am I, trust me”, Cross laughed slightly. “Now, there was something you wanted to ask?”  
“Yeah... you see...”, Dream didn't know how to start. “I know, I've only really been here for a day, but I would like to go to the city. Alone. No kings, no princes, no servants.”  
“So you're fed up already, huh”, Cross laughed. “And here I thought you were the patient one.”  
“I'm trying”, Dream pouted. “Your answer?”  
“What's the plan, then? Not telling our fathers? You'll just leave the explaining to me?”  
Cross was just teasing but Dream was getting desperate here.  
“I'll be back before lunch, no one will even know I was gone.”  
“You're quite a handful, Dream”, Cross laughed. “But sure, go have fun, I'll cover for you, should anything happen out of plan. It's a beautiful day outside and you're going to like our city.”  
Dream couldn't hide his excitement as he got up from his position on the wall.  
“Thank you so much, Cross!”  
“Saved someone's day I see”, Cross laughed and turned to the door. “Well, I will excuse myself to my room then. See you at lunch, Dream.”  
And just like that, he was gone. Nightmare went to his room to pick clothes for Dream as soon as he got the yes, so Dream was left alone in his room. He looked at himself in the mirror and took off his tiara. He looked far less royal without it, already.  
Nightmare came back with a bundle of clothes in his arm.  
“I'm sorry, my prince. To get anything remotely civil you will have to wear some of my clothes. They aren't exactly your colour scheme, but...”  
“I'll survive it, don't worry”, Dream smiled a big smile. “Now give me the clothes and get my horse ready, will you?”  
“Of course, my prince.”  
Nightmare handed him the clothes and went down to the stables.  
Dream got dressed and looked at himself in the mirror.  
Wow... where had Nightmare found these? Why had he kept them and more importantly... why had he brought them here?  
It was one of Nightmare's very old outfits. The ones that had no golden adornments yet. The almost black, yet somehow purple tunic was slightly tattered already, the amount the black pants were too short could be covered by the shoes. Overall it had a worn look. Dream thought he might look even less like royalty than Nightmare now.  
Happy with his outfit, Dream remembered to grab some money and went down to the stables to be greeted by a ready horse and his most loyal servant.  
“Niiight”, Dream greeted him with a big smile.  
Nightmare, who just led the horse out of the stable looked his prince up and down. He was clearly speechless.  
“So, how do I look? Also, where did you find these old things? Why did you bring them? I can't even remember the last time I saw you in them.”  
“Uh, you look... like you looked through the garbage dump of a semi royal family and took what you found? No offence.”  
“Non taken”, Dream smiled. “After all, that was what I wanted to accomplish!”  
“But to answer you questions, when I packed I literally just took four outfits from my wardrobe. Didn't even remember I still had these before I found them while unpacking here.”  
“You're a mess, Nighty”, Dream laughed. “Well, thanks for getting the horse ready, I'll be off then!”  
Dream got into the saddle and took off to the city.

The way to the city was only a five minutes ride on horseback. Dream arrived rather quickly and gave his horse to the next stable at the city entrance. The city looked lively.  
Dream walked over the market for a while. It was full of vendors selling all kinds of things. Clothing, fish... there was even a store selling exotic birds as pets. Dream always wanted one. Though, in the end he didn't know whether or not he could bear the sad song of a caged bird for long.  
Shaking his head he kept going. Until a certain building caught his attention.  
The store of an artist, if the paintings hanging everywhere were anything to go by. They looked lovely. Dream decided to enter.  
The store smelled like fresh paints and parchment, every wall was littered with paintings of all kinds of things, nature mainly. Overall, it gave off a surprisingly calm vibe. Dream looked at the paintings a little closer. Landscapes, drawings of birds, horses... they all looked like they were ripped out of reality only moments ago.  
Dream was too lost in one of the painting to even realize that someone was coming down from the second storey.  
“Oh, are you a customer? Sorry, I so rarely get people here, so I just spend most my time painting upstairs!”, the person smiled.  
The first thing Dream noticed, was that he was covered in paint. Most was on his clothes, but he also got a rather noticeable stain on his face. He wore an interesting shirt, some weird gloves, an extremely long scarf and... that's not how you wear overalls. Also... that were the weirdest socks Dream had ever seen and the guy wasn't wearing shoes. If anything, he seemed like the perfect definition of an artist.  
“Well, nice to meet you”, he just kept talking, “My name is Ink!”  
“I'm Dre- uh N-Nightmare”, Dream stumbled over his words as he realized that the people probably knew the name of the prince.  
“Nightmare, huh”, Ink smiled as he walked towards Dream. “I'll call you Night for short. So, are you here to buy something? I also take commissions!”  
“I.. uh.. I'm sorry”, Dream looked down. “I would love to buy something, your art looks amazing, but I can't bring something home with me. Someone might notice it and realize I was here.”  
“Soo you ran away from home?”, Ink asked childishly.  
“Hmm, you could say so”, Dream agreed.  
“Alright then, Night! I will make it worth for you! Come, I'll show you around!”, he grabbed Dreams hand.  
“W-wait, what? Are you just going to leave? What if you get a customer?”  
“I told you, nobody comes here”, Ink smiled. “And if you ran away from home, you are here to have a good time, right? Allow me to help!”  
What was it with this guy just taking a complete stranger out to have fun?  
Ink just dragged him out the front door and locked his store.  
“Have you been here before? Is there anything in particular you want to see?”  
Dream was still perplexed and confused at everything that just happened. Ink just dragged him out like that. Stars, the guy didn't even get dressed!  
“Uh, didn't you want to change before we go? Also, you don't wear shoes!”, Dream complained.  
“Oh, yeah, shoes”, Ink shrugged. “I don't really care about that. And I mean, I'm an artist and everyone here knows, so no need to hide the paint and ink stains. So where do you want to go?”  
“I've never been to the city before... just take me wherever you want, I guess?”  
Inks eyes changed into bright yellow stars. That was the first time Dream realized the others eyes changed symbols and colour.  
_Cute_ , he thought.  
“Alright then!”, Ink said happily.  
And just like that Dream was dragged around the city.  
The first place they stopped was a glass-blowers workshop. The owner seemed to know Ink.  
“Oh, hello Ink”, he greeted. “I didn't expect you at this time. And who is that, you got with you?”  
“Oh, I just met him. Call him Night! I'm showing him around the city. So we're just looking, really. I want him to have some fun.”  
“Alright then, you can look around. Just remember: you touch it, you buy it!”  
“Yessir!”, Ink chirped and turned to Dream. “They make art out of glass, Night! Isn't that great! You will like it, I'm sure of it.”  
Dream just nodded and looked around. Ink was right, this was amazing. Dream had seen a lot of things, claimed to be beautiful decoration in his fathers castle. To him, all it was, was some gold placed in random forms to show that whoever lives there had money. But seeing delicate things formed out of glass was something completely different. He spent some time just looking at all the different objects, then left the store together with Ink.  
“That was nice”, Dream said.  
“You an art fan in general?”, Ink asked, as they continued walking down the streets, hands behind his head.  
“I like it, when the art represents the soul of the one who made it. When you can see that the person really cares about the art. What I hate is when art is used to show wealth. It lacks soul, because the artist is doing it for the money and nothing else.”  
“Wow, are you an art critique or something? I don't mean to be rude, but looking at your outfit I thought you came from a pretty standard working class family”, Ink stated, looking at Dream.  
“Heh”, Dream laughed. “My family is anything but standard. That's why I'm here to begin with. I really don't want to think about them right now.”  
“Oh, right, sorry.”  
“Don't think to hard about it”, Dream said. Then a smell hit his nose. “Wow, what's that? Smells great!”  
“Oh, I think those are fresh doughnuts from over there”, Ink pointed to a store. “Do you want some?”  
“Yeah, let's look at it!”, Dream agreed and they both walked over.  
Ink looked at the price list, then counted something in his pocket and turned to Dream.  
“I might just have enough money for one...”, he looked a little sad, if the blue drop and the circle in his eyes was anything to go by.  
“Don't worry, I'm treating”, Dream said. “Though I never had something like this before, so you order what you like.”  
“Huh? Niight, you're the best”, Ink smiled, hugging Dream.  
Ink ordered some doughnuts with chocolate and Dream paid. They got a bag with fresh doughnuts.  
“I don't want to press on your money bag but would you like something to drink to the food?”, Ink asked sheepishly.  
“Don't you worry about the money, we're having a nice day here”, Dream smiled at him. “What would you suggest to drink?”  
“They have really good juice at the next store!”, Ink exclaimed.  
“Sounds great!”  
And so they walked over to the next store.  
“Got your eyes on something?”, Ink asked.  
“Uh, apple?”, Dream said uncertain. He didn't know why, but ever since he was a child he liked anything that had apples.  
Ink ordered two apple juices, Dream paid and they both walked over to the fountain in the middle of the market to enjoy their purchases. Warm doughnuts and apple juice.  
“Say, Night”, Ink started, between bites of doughnuts. “I don't get it. Your name's Nightmare and I guess your dark themed clothes kinda fit that... but what's with the yellow eyes? I mean, you got really nice eyes. But the rest doesn't fit?”  
Dream blushed. Had Ink just complimented his eyes?  
“Honestly, I never thought too much about it”, Dream shrugged. “I never thought a lot about eyes before, either. But your eyes are quite something. I never met someone who's eyes change coloured symbols. Are they based on your emotions?”  
“Sometimes, when I feel really strong emotions, they are represented in my eyes. Other times they make absolutely no sense”, Ink laughed.  
“That's cute”, Dream said absent-mindedly.  
At that, Ink made a weird sound and Dream realized what he said. But looking at the cute rainbow blush that stretched across the others face, Dream didn't regret a thing.  
“You really are an artist with all your soul aren't you”, Dream laughed. “It's not only your eyes, even your blush holds all the colours of the rainbow. That really is the cutest thing ever!”  
“I-I'm not blushing!”, Ink complained, covering his face.  
Dream laughed until his eyes fell upon a clock that hung on one of the buildings. 11:20, he had to get going.  
Ink realised the sudden change in Dream's mood.  
“Hey, something wrong, Night?”, he asked.  
“I have to go back home now”, Dream answered sad. “Thank you, though. I had a great day so far.”  
“I see, can I lead you somewhere or is this goodbye?”  
“You can bring me to the stable, I have my horse there.”  
“You ran away from home with a horse? Is it far?”, Ink seemed worried.  
“No, just a few minutes. I took the horse because I wanted to get away as fast as possible.”  
Ink took Dream to the stable and Dream got on his horse.  
“This is not goodbye, Ink”, he said. “I will do everything I can to meet you again.”  
And with that he rode of into the distance.  
Ink felt so lost as he entered his home again. He made friends with a total stranger and now he longed to see the bright and cheerful runaway, who he didn't think would manage to come back so soon.  
Had he made a mistake?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comments are appreciated and keep me motivated!  
> Just tell me you were here, please :)
> 
> Also a question has bothered me, considering further progression of the story is:  
> Is anyone interested in smut/NSFW content for the ships in this story  
> AND if yes, should I put it in a seperate chapter with a warning or just include it in the flow of the chapter it's meant to be in?  
> Thanks for reading, as always!


	5. Chapter 4: Long hallways

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The same day as chapter 3, but it's Cross and Nightmare.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've been trying to keep my chapters at around 3k words per update, but this time it just didn't work?  
> So this update is only around 2k words. I wanted to post it yesterday, but I wasn't completely happy (still not). Forgive me, please.  
> This feels so short...  
> Hope you enjoy it anyway.

Cross was walking down the silent hallway. All he wanted was to get a few books from the castles huge library, when he suddenly heard muffled sounds.  
_Nightmare?_ It did sound like him.  
He picked up his pace and walked around a corner. And then instantly stopped.  
Dreams father stood there and held Nightmare a little above ground, pressed against a wall. One of the kings hands was on Nightmare's neck. Nightmare was struggling against the harsh grip, tears in his eyes.  
“P-please, master”, he croaked.  
“Oh, Nightmare, we've been over this”, the king said coldly.  
Cross couldn't watch this.  
“Let him down, now!”, he demanded. The king just looked at him.  
“Our castle, our rules”, Cross tried to stay calm. “I'm sure you were told, too. No violence towards servants. And that also means, the one you brought along. Now, let him down. I don't want to have to explain to Dream that his father strangled his servant to death.”  
The king just dropped Nightmare, turned around and left. Nightmare's hands immediately flew to his neck and he started coughing.  
All books forgotten Cross ran to Nightmare.  
“Are you alright?”, he asked, concerned.  
Nightmare opened his mouth, but all that came out where coughs and croaks.  
“Alright, you're coming with me”, Cross said and picked Nightmare up.  
In this moment, Cross was glad Nightmare couldn't talk, because he heard the other trying to complain.  
Nightmare was carried to Cross' room and sat down at the sofa. Then Cross started examining his neck.  
“Damn, he got you good”, Cross said and got up to get a first aid kit.  
Nightmare saw Cross pull out a bandage and started complaining again.  
“I'm fine, there's no need to bandage it up”, it was barely a whisper. “I don't want the prince to see it.”  
“You should see yourself. Trust me, a bandage is far less suspicious then those angry red marks you have on your neck. Some are even bleeding.”  
At that, Nightmare gave in and let Cross do what he saw fit. Cross put some gel on the wounds and wrapped a bandage around. Then he threw a tablet into a glass of water and handed it to Nightmare.  
At Nightmare's confused look he answered: “It's a painkiller. For your throat.”  
Nightmare nodded and downed the glass.  
Cross waited a few minutes, before asking: “So, good to talk again?”  
“Seems like it”, Nightmare answered, still sounding a bit sore.  
“What was this about?”  
“I'd rather not talk about it, prince. Let's say it's something personal between the king and me”, Nightmare answered, looking down.  
“Fine”, Cross said, sitting down on the sofa next to Nightmare. “We aren't done talking, though.”  
“You really shouldn't talk to me”, Nightmare tried.  
“I decide who I talk to”, Cross stated. “And you're way more fun than your master.”  
“Don't say that”, Nightmare warned. “He is giving it his all to get the best outcome for everyone. Everyone except himself.”  
“The perfect image of the self sacrificial ruler, I already noticed that. Don't worry, once this is done I will do my best to keep him safe and happy. But that wasn't what I wanted to talk about.”  
“Alright, then?”, Nightmare looked at him, waiting.  
“I was wondering. You're like Dreams right hand man, but you don't wear the realms colours. What's with that?”  
“That was honestly just a whim of my prince's father. So everyone knows, I don't belong. It also suits my dark soul, is what he said.”  
“No way he means that”, Cross shook his head. “What have you done wrong?”  
“I wish I knew the answer to that”, Nightmare said sadly, as he took a better look around the room. Cross had a lot of books.  
“Do you like books?”, Cross asked, following Nightmares eyes.  
“You're one for changing the subject”, a soft chuckle escaped Nightmare. “Yeah, I tend to read in my free minutes.”  
“I could lend you some. As long as you are still considered as guests you won't be integrated in the servants schedule, so you'll have some time to read”, Cross suggested.  
“That would be nice”, Nightmare admitted with a slight smile.  
_Damn, why does he look so cute when he's smiling?_ , Cross thought as he got up to collect some books he finished.  
Cross came back to the sofa to hand Nightmare four different books.  
“Thank you”, Nightmare said as he took the books. He unconsciously touched the bandage on his neck: “For everything”, he added.  
“No matter how much his rank puts him above you, that's no way to treat a servant”, Cross looked furious. “You are Dreams servant so he has no right to choose over his son. Really, if this wasn't all tied to the peace of the land...”  
Cross took a deep breath. “I shouldn't get so worked up...”  
Nightmare stood up. “I'll get back to my room now. Promise me one thing tough, prince Cross. If my prince doesn't find out what happened today on his own, could you keep it a secret?”  
“He won't hear it from me, Nightmare. Now, you should take a rest, your throat will thank you. I'll have someone bring you tea, too.”  
“You don't have to do all of this for me, prince. But I appreciate the gesture.”  
With that Nightmare bowed and left the room.  
Cross sat down and buried his head in his hands. Was he falling in love with his fiancées servant? This couldn't get any worse.

Nightmare just managed to find a fitting place for the books he got from Cross as one of the prince's servants brought him the tea the young lord promised.  
He drank the tea and took the advice from Cross to get some rest.  
He was later awoken by a knock on his door. As he entered Dreams room he found the other already changing back to his normal outfit on his own.  
“My prince, how was your day so far?” Nightmare knew, this was not the moment to ask, whether he needed help changing or not, considering the prince was almost fully dressed by now anyway.  
Dream turned around and fixed the last few things on his outfit.  
“I had a great day! The market is really lively and-”, Dream noticed the bandage on his servant's neck. “Night, what happened.”  
Dream basically grounded him with his eyes. He wanted the truth.  
“Just an accident with hot water, no need to worry”, Nightmare said, hoping it sounded truthfully enough.  
“You're not one of the clumsy kind, Nightmare...”  
Nightmare knew it was getting serious, when Dream used his full name.  
“I got startled. This is all new to me too, my prince.”  
Dream sighed and dropped the discussion. He would believe him, for now.  
“Well, I met one of Cross' servants down at the stables, so the horse is taken care of. We better get down for lunch now, right?”  
As soon as Nightmare opened the door he saw Cross leaving his own room, so they waited for him. Cross met Nightmare's eyes for a moment and both of them nodded in silent agreement. Then he greeted Dream and they walked down to lunch together.

Save for the look both Cross and Nightmare got from Dreams father, lunch was the same play as breakfast.  
“So, why don't you both come to my room and you tell us about your adventure in the city, Dream?”, Cross suggested as soon as they were out of hearing range of the kings. “You are basically beaming with joy and I want to have part of it.”  
“Sure, why not”, Dream smiled and followed Cross.  
“Please, take a seat”, Cross gestured to the chairs and sofa surrounding his table.  
Dream immediately took his place on the sofa while Nightmare took the chair next to him. As soon as he sat down, he started coughing lightly. He tried to hold it back, as not to worry Dream, but Cross had already caught on to it.  
“Water again, Dream?”, he asked, already walking in the direction of a can, placed on his bedside table.  
“Gladly”, Dream said.  
Cross prepared three glasses of water, letting a tablet drop into one of them while Dream wasn't looking. The way Nightmare looked at him he saw it, so Cross just winked at him. Nightmare nodded.  
“Thank you”, he whispered, barely loud enough.  
Cross sat down on the sofa next to Dream and Nightmare drank his water, hoping for the meds to kick in rather quickly.  
“I'm a little jealous of you, Cross”, Dream laughed.  
Cross gave him a questioning look so Dream continued.  
“See, Nighty over here is doing everything for me. Sometimes I wish I could do things on my own.”  
“My apologies, my prince. I am just following orders”, Nightmare said.  
“Yeah, my fathers... even though you're _my_ servant”, Dream stated.  
“So, if I got this right”, Cross tried to understand the situation, “The only reason you are basically glued to Dream is because the king told you to?”  
“I don't dislike being the prince's personal servant, it's just...I know the prince can do a lot on his own, yet I am forced to at least ask to do the task for him. The king told me I should get rid of the prince's every worry before it even arose.”  
“You to have an interesting relationship”, Cross laughed. “I just do most things on my own because I'm too lazy to call a servant over. I can finish it faster on my own then it would take for a servant to get here”, Cross shrugged. “Well, back to why we are actually here. Dream, you had a nice day in the city?”  
“Oh, yeah. I've never seen such a lively market! And...”

_Dream talked about his day in the city for a long time, mentioning all the amazing things he witnessed. He only left out his encounter with a very specific artist._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comments are appreciated and keep me motivated!  
> Just tell me you were here, please :)


	6. Chapter 5: The ghosts of the past

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Starts at lunch, the day after the last chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here, have a normal lenght chapter again!

“Glad you could all make it for lunch again”, Cross' father started talking after everyone got to their seats on the table. “We have an announcement to make: We finished the phrasing of the treaty yesterday evening. Everything stands as originally planned, that means that your marriage will be publicly announced tomorrow morning, after breakfast and the ceremony and ball will be held a week later.”  
Dream couldn't believe what he heard. Yes, he wanted to get this over with, but being faced with it, it felt like it was all going so fast. Cross noticed his silence and took the initiative.  
“That's great, isn't it, Dream”, he snapped him out of it. “We can finally make our bond public! And achieve peace for our empire!”  
“Yes!”, Dream regained his fake smile, “I'm already looking forward to it!”  
During the rest of their lunch the four mainly talked about the arrangements that needed to be made for the ball. The colours of the decoration, how many desserts were needed, who would get an invitation...

Dreams mind was overwhelmed by it all. He wanted to get away from it. Finally back in his room he just had to wait for Nightmare to figure there was nothing Dream needed right now. Dream told him, he would call if there was anything he needed and Nightmare went back to his room.  
Dream got the outfit Nightmare gave him the day before from under his bed, where he stored it so Nightmare wouldn't take it back. He got dressed, put down his crown, took some money with him and left a note on his bedside table. Then he climbed out of the window.  
Dream didn't know how to saddle a horse and there was no time for that anyway. He needed to get away.   
_He needed to see Ink._  
So he would walk. Or run.

When he finally arrived at the city he took a few minutes to catch his breath before he tried to find the artists house again.  
As he got to the house he could here someone talk inside. Did Ink have a customer? Dream decided to go in anyway. He did not expect what unfolded before him.  
There were four strange men in the house, one held up Ink by his scarf.  
“P-please, just give me a few more days! I'll get the money! Just please...!”, Ink was on the verge of tears, pleading to the people.  
Of course it was about money. _It's always about money_ , Dream knew.  
“I don't know what this is about, but strangling someone is not the solution to any problem”, Dream said from his position at the door.  
“And you are?”, one of the men asked.  
“Oh, right now, I'm just a customer. But I could easily become your problem, so you better let him down”, Dream said casually and took a few steps away from the door and into the store.  
“Fine”, the one holding Ink grunted. “You have four days, you hear?” And then he threw him across the room.  
Ink landed on a wall opposite of Dream with an unnerving sound and a yelp.  
“U-understood”, he said.  
The four men left and Dream ran over to Ink.  
“Are you alright, Ink? What did they want?”  
“N-night”, Ink wiped the tears away that fell as he hit the wall. “Yeah, I'm fine. Help me get up, though?”  
Dream helped Ink up from the floor and they stumbled over to the counter, on which Ink sat down.  
“So..?”, Dream wanted to ask again.  
“It's about my rent. I'm kinda late with my pay for this place.”  
“You don't have the money, right?”  
“You got it. And if I don't have it in four days I won't have a place to stay at, anymore”, Ink shook his head. “But that really shouldn't be your concern. You're back! Though... that means you had trouble at home again, right? You aren't here on a nice visit I suppose?”  
Dream sighed. “Well, I came here to cheer up... Seems like we'll be doing that together! Come on!”, he said cheerfully and pulled Ink off the counter. “The way I got to know you, you're already dressed for a great afternoon on the market!”  
“Huh?”, Ink was really startled. “Uh, yeah? I guess...”  
He let himself be pulled outside and locked his house.  
“So, where do we go, Ink? Anything on your mind?”  
“Let's just walk over the market for a while? I need to clear my mind.”  
“Fine by me! I think I haven't seen half of it the last time we were here”, Dream agreed.  
They walked over the market for a while, Ink showing Dream all the things he missed on his first visit.

“Well, that's pretty much all our market has to offer”, Ink said as they went back to the fountain after a few hours of walking across the market. “There is one last place I would like to take you, if you want.”  
“I'm listening”, Dream said, facing Ink.  
“The park is rather nice and a place I go to when I try to get away from things that bother me, so...”  
“Why not?”, Dream agreed. “Grab some doughnuts and juice first?”, he suggested.  
“You really fell in love with that, didn't you?”, Ink laughed.  
Dream just shrugged and they went to get the snacks, then walked towards the park.  
The park was a nice patch of greenery a few minutes away from the market and main square of the city. Benches were lined along a way, surrounded by trees and flower beds. It wasn't overfilled or tacky and Dream once again found himself appreciating the simpler things.  
Ink led Dream to his favourite spot in the park, away from the main gathering points. A more quiet and serene area.  
“So, how do you like it?”, Ink asked after they both sat down to enjoy juice and doughnuts.  
“The park is beautiful”, Dream said upon finishing his doughnut and let himself fall back to lay down on the grass. “The weather is great, too.”  
Ink let himself fall back too, to lay right beside Dream.  
“I'm glad”, he said. “I thought I wouldn't see you again and that after I really enjoyed your company.”  
“I told you I would come back”, Dream said and cuddled up to Ink.  
“N-night what are you doing?”, Ink asked, blushing.  
“You smell like paint”, Dream hummed. “I like it. I like you.”  
Ink laughed slightly and wrapped an arm around Dream.   
“I like you too, Night”, he whispered.  
They lay there for a long time just enjoying the presence of the other until Dream remembered that he should probably be back for dinner.  
“It's time for me to go, I'm afraid”, he mumbled, head still pressed against Inks ribs.  
Ink sighed. “Alright, should I take you to the stable?”  
“I walked here today”, Dream admitted. “I will walk you home instead”, he smiled and stood up.  
Ink got up too and led Dream out of the park and back to his home.  
“This is it again, then”, Ink said sadly.  
“I will be back, I just can't tell you how long it will take”, Dream said as he hugged Ink. Then he pressed a small kiss to the others cheek. “Just wait for me, Ink.”  
Dream quickly turned around and left, to hide his own blush and because he was afraid of the others reaction. Hopefully, Ink would like the present Dream left on the counter for him.  
Ink stood in front of his house, staring at the direction Dream left in for a long time, hand slowly wandering over his cheek. As he finally remembered to unlock his house it dawned on him that he had fallen for a complete stranger he met for the second time today.  
Upon entering his house he found a small pouch on the counter. It looked similar to the one Nightmare always paid with. And it was full of coin.  
 _But he still had a full purse when he paid for the doughnuts and juice..._ , Ink wondered.  
 _Did he bring two? How could he quickly put money from one to the other without me noticing? And how is this so much money? That's enough to get me through two month without a problem._  
It was then, that Ink realized he didn't only fall for a complete stranger that met him by coincidence after running away from home. He fell for a complete stranger who had way too much money for a runaway. And he couldn't help but fall deeper.

Nightmare finished the book he was reading and got off the bed. It's been two hours and he hadn't heard anything from Dream. He decided to knock on the door.  
Nothing. He knocked again.  
“Prince? Are you alright? I'm coming in.”  
The room was empty. Great.  
There was a note on the bedside table.

_Sorry Night  
Went to the city  
Be back before dinner  
Dream_

Nightmare sighed. He should have expected this.   
The castle was big, so the chance of someone searching for Dream and actually finding him.. or realizing he wasn't there was low. But... there was still someone who could quickly count all the places the prince would likely be at. He needed to talk to Cross.  
So Nightmare pocketed the note and went to the other prince's room.  
He knocked.  
“Who is it?”, came an annoyed voice from inside.  
“Excuse my sudden interruption, but-”  
“Oh, Nightmare? Come in”, Cross suddenly sounded way kinder.  
Nightmare entered the room and closed the door.  
“Take a seat and tell me why you're here”, Cross smiled at him.  
Nightmare bowed. “I wont be long. I just need you to know that my prince has left for the city again, so I need you to stay discreet should anyone ask for him.”  
Cross closed the book and stood up from where he was sitting on the sofa.  
“Well, if he's nowhere to be found, why don't we do the same?”, Cross suggested. “Care for a break in the garden? You could bring a book if you want.”  
“I... gladly accept your invitation”, Nightmare said with a mixture of shock and confusion. Why would the prince suggest such a thing to him? He was just a servant.  
“Great”, Cross smiled. “So, how are you progressing with the books I gave you?”  
“I just finished the first one before coming here.”  
“Hmm, alright”, Cross said and turned to a pile of books on his table. He picked one from the top and handed it to Nightmare. “Take this one.”  
“Uh.. Thank you”, Nightmare accepted the book.  
“And now follow me, I know a way nobody goes”, Cross grinned and took Nightmare's hand.  
They went through a number of hallways that looked... cleaned but otherwise unused. Cross didn't lie about them being less frequently used.  
They arrived at the garden rather quick and sat down on a bench with a sigh.  
Nightmare looked around. During the daytime the garden looked... different to say the least. The fountain had lost its magical glow and there where only a few flowers that were actually blooming, as a big number of them were only blooming during the night. It was just... green. A healthy green, though, so the garden didn't look abandoned or dead, just not as colourful as one would expect.  
“I see”, Nightmare hummed. “So that's why this garden isn't exactly popular.”  
“Yeah, you got it. Does it... make you uncomfortable?”, Cross asked a little sad.  
“Nature is beautiful in all it's forms, no need to worry about me”, Nightmare reassured him. “Just... don't drag my prince here, I doubt he would enjoy it.”  
“I'll remember”, Cross said.  
For a moment they sat in silence, Nightmare closed his eyes and enjoyed the warm sun and the fresh air. He turned back to give Cross a questioning look as he hummed a little.  
“I really enjoy seeing you like this. You seem to turn in to a completely different person when you're surrounded by nature.”  
“The only time I got to go outside in our castle was whenever the horses needed to be saddled. Sometimes it was my turn to clean the stables or take out the leftovers from the kitchen, but... it was always a task and never a pleasant experience of just enjoying nature”, Nightmare explained, shaking his head. “I feel incredibly privileged, being able to see and enjoy all this... on the side of this castles prince, no less.”  
“Our kingdoms really are like day and night, aren't they?”, Cross asked. “When I have to look at how the king treats you...”  
“That's only me”, Nightmare laughed sadly. “It's because I'm... different. I am lucky my prince even convinced the king to let me come along. The other servants are treated normally. The king isn't a bad person, either. He... may be short tempered, but I always managed to make sure he lets it out on me and no one else.”  
“That's even worse!”, Cross exclaimed.  
“Trust me, it's not...”  
“As a king, he is the one responsible for his people's well-being. The servants count in on that. It doesn't matter who you are or what they say about you, you also deserve a chance!”  
Nightmare looked at Cross for a moment, then crawled in on himself, pulling his legs up on the bench and towards his chest. “I had one.”  
Cross looked at him, shocked. This wasn't how he planned this to go at all. Seeing Nightmare like this, it almost tore his soul apart. He put his book aside on the bench and went to hug Nightmare.  
“Sorry, I didn't mean to make you feel bad...”  
For a moment he felt Nightmare lean into the hug. But as soon as he realized it, he gently pushed Cross away again.  
“There's no need to feel sorry for me. I don't _deserve_ your comfort either. You should... just accept that there are things you can't change. Kings and princes aren't the all powerful people they are believed to be, so you shouldn't drown in your own delusions of being able to change everything. Or make everyone happy. So whatever this is you're trying with me... give it up.”  
“I'm sorry, Nightmare, but I wont.”  
Nightmare laughed, a sad, sarcastic laugh. “You're helpless. Also, you're one determined guy. I don't want to have to watch you fall apart, though. “  
“I wont.”  
“Sure, whatever”, Nightmare sighed. “I'm only a servant after all. I'm in no position to tell you, what you should do. Just... don't say I didn't warn you...”  
Cross just hummed and opened his book. This wouldn't go anywhere, so he should let it rest. He saw Nightmare open his book, too. The frown disappeared from his face as he drowned in the words of the book. This version of him was way more pleasant to look at, compared to the sad, frightened person he was moments ago. Cross just wanted Nightmare to feel better. Whatever he's been trough, he didn't deserve it. And if making him feel better meant giving him some space and a good book, then Cross could deliver.

Cross lost track of time rather easily, so he didn't know how long they'd been sitting in the garden as Nightmare closed his book.  
“It is getting late, prince Cross”, Nightmare said as he stood up. “We should head back. I have to see if my prince returned and I am certain you still got some things to attend to before dinner.”   
Nightmare stood before Cross, holding out a hand. Cross took it and let the servant help him off the bench.  
“If we are to take the same route as before, I am afraid you will have to lead us”, Nightmare admitted.  
“No problem, just follow me”, Cross said and walked ahead. This time he didn't take Nightmare's hand, afraid the other might still need some space.  
The way back passed rather quick and silent and they both parted at the door to Cross' room.

Nightmare entered his own room first to place the new book on his bedside table. While doing so he heard noises from Dreams room and decided to knock.  
“My prince, are you back?”, he asked.  
“Yeah, come in, Night”, he heard Dream say.  
Nightmare entered and saw Dream store a neatly folded outfit under his bed.  
“You kept it...”, Nightmare sighed.  
“Are you mad at me? For keeping it? Or for going to the city again? I...”  
“Don't worry, really”, Nightmare interrupted Dreams rambling. “This whole thing isn't easy on you, I can see that, no matter how much you try to hide it. A prince isn't a machine, even if no one wants to believe it. And if the city makes you feel even a bit better, I am not taking the one outlet you have found in this strange place. I should thank you for even leaving that note, so I knew what was going on.”  
Dream teared up and leapt into Nightmare's arms.  
“Thank you. Oh, Nigh, thank you so much”, he sobbed. “Sometimes it feels like you're the only one who understands me. Why do I have to be a prince? Can't we just be normal? This isn't easy on you either, yet you always find the right words to comfort me. I wish I could be there for you, as you are for me.”  
Nightmare slowly rubbed small circles on Dreams back.  
“Don't worry, my prince”, he said softly. “Moments like these are enough for me. Just stay positive and I'll be alright. Having you is more than I could ask for.”  
Dream slowly calmed down again and by the time he let go of Nightmare, it was already time to go for dinner.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comments are appreciated and keep me motivated!  
> Just tell me you were here, please :)


	7. Chapter 6: Nightmares

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the next day!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yay, another short chapter! Throwing more emotional CrossMare at you!  
> For the past few days I had a horrible earache, making it hard to focus on anything, writing especially, so the next update may take a little longer. I hope this fades soon.  
> I have a beta reader now and they are the best thing that ever happened to me!  
> Also, I have [a tumblr!](https://theblackbutterfly02.tumblr.com/) (shameless self promotion) where I  
> \- announce chapters (so you see when I update if you are active on tumblr)  
> \- the occasional drabbles, for which I am not sure if I will upload them to ao3  
> \- you can send me requests and I will write around 500 to 2000 words (depending on my mood, I guess?)

Really, the 'announcement' was just the two kings standing on the castles balcony, the one facing the city, and holding a long, over the top speech about the value of peace and the treaty the two kingdoms had formed. For Dream and Cross it was just a matter of 'stand still, look pretty'. They were told to hold hands and look like they were enjoying it. Yeah.  
Dream was sure the citizens didn't understand half of the politics stuff the kings told them, but at least everyone was cheering at the announced marriage.  
After that, the two princes had to go to separate rooms because the servants had to prepare everything to get them new outfits for the ball, which was to be held a week from today.

Dream sighed. This had been going on for hours now. The castles servants ran around him, holding cloth onto his bones and taking measurements. The only break he had was to go to lunch a few hours ago.  
Everything had to be perfect for their marriage, so the kings had decided that Dream needed a new outfit, fitting for the occasion.  
Even though all he did was stand around and lift his arms or turn his head when he was asked to, this was so exhausting. The only thing that made this slightly better was knowing that Cross was in a similar predicament. Their outfits had to fit together perfectly so he had to get a new one as well, was what the kings said.  
Nightmare, who was in the next room helping with the design came up to him, stretching a little.  
“Okay prince, time to get you dressed”, he smiled a little. “We are done for today. And if you're lucky, this was the only time you had to do this.”  
“Oh, thank goodness”, Dream sighed as he let Nightmare help him back in his usual outfit. “I'm so exhausted, what time is it?”  
“Dinner in two hours”, was what he got as an answer.  
“You're kidding, Night”, Dream said shocked.  
“Sadly, I'm not.”  
“Oh, well. I feel like sleeping already anyway.”  
After Dream was fully dressed they went back to his room. Dream flopped down on his chair and asked Nightmare to somehow keep him awake for the next two hours. Neither of them know how he managed it.  
During dinner both princes looked about equally exhausted but still tried to play the lovely couple.  
Dream seemed happy as he was able to go back to his room after dinner. He was in a hurry to get some sleep so Nightmare got the rest of the evening for himself.  
He decided to finish the book he recently got from Cross and then went to sleep as well.

He woke up from a Nightmare. He didn't bother looking at the clock. He didn't want to startle the prince peacefully sleeping next door but he needed to clear his mind. He decided he needed to get some fresh air.  
He didn't realize he walked towards the garden before he arrived there.  
He sat down under a tree and tried to get the horrible images out of his head.

No matter how exhausting the day had been, Cross couldn't get himself to fall asleep. _Something_ just kept him awake. After lying awake for two hours he decided it was no use, so he grabbed a blanket and went to the garden.  
It was cold outside so he wrapped the blanket around himself and walked around the garden a little. Then he noticed someone sitting under one of the bigger trees. He approached slowly and recognized the person as Nightmare. He was curled up tight, elbows on his knees, hands on his head. He looked miserable at best.  
“N-nightmare?”, Cross reached out his hand, slowly. “Are you okay? What's wrong?”  
Nightmare didn't answer, so Cross tried to touch him. As soon as his hand touched Nightmare's, the other gasped and pushed him away.  
“N-no, please, don't...”, Nightmare whimpered.  
Cross could see the tears that fell from Nightmare's eyes, the utter terror in them. The other was shaking wildly now. And he clearly didn't see Cross. He saw someone else. _He was somewhere else_.  
Cross kneeled down next to Nightmare and hugged him. The other was tossing and turning, trying to get away, constantly rambling a mix of apologies and begs.  
“It's okay, Night. It's only me, it's Cross. You're save. No one will do anything to you. Just relax”, Cross whispered sweet nothings, hoping to calm the shaking servant in his arms.  
Cross didn't know how long they spent like this, but the other finally got calmer and Cross wrapped the blanked he dropped some time ago around both of them.  
“U-uh, p-prince Cross, is that y-you?”, Nightmare croaked out a whisper.  
“Hmm”, Cross hummed.  
Nightmare seemed to fully snap back into reality and pushed the prince away.  
“Why would you hug me, I think I told you to stop that!”  
“It's because I care, Nightmare.”  
“Well, that's bullshit! My brother tries his best for everyone and instead of him, you fall in love with me? That's just not fair on either of us”, Nightmare was crying again. “The only difference between us are our eyes, so you can't tell me you chose me because I look better! My brother deserves all the happiness he can get, so why can't you provide him any? And don't you realize that we aren't supposed to fall in love with each other? All of this is so wrong!”  
Nightmare had scooted a few inches back while he was talking, head in his hands again. Cross had a hard time catching all the things Nightmare just said.  
“Your... brother? Dream? Is your … brother? I don't quite...”  
_Well, they do look alike... And what was it with that second part? Did he just admit to loving me?_  
“N-no, I... Did I..? U-uh, I'm just too shaken up to... talk clearly”, Nightmare said.  
“Too shaken to lie properly, you mean? How long where you expecting to keep that secret? Does Dream even know? Why are you even his servant, then?”  
Cross had so many questions, yet it seemed to only make Nightmare more uncomfortable. Cross took a deep breath.  
“Okay, Nightmare. You can tell me everything at your own pace. First, let's get you off this grass and under my blanket.”  
Cross picked Nightmare up and carried him to the next bench. Then he wrapped the blanket around both of them and put an arm around Nightmare.  
Nightmare knew he shouldn't, but the warmth of the other was just so inviting in the shaken state he was currently in, that he couldn't help himself cuddle up to the prince. After all, he so willingly offered it.  
Cross hugged the other tight as he crawled up into his embrace. Nightmare was still shaking.  
“Okay, why don't you start by telling me what brought you here?”  
“Nightmare, as ironic as that is”, Nightmare huffed. “Don't want to talk about it.”  
“Alright, yeah. That's okay.” He stayed silent for a few minutes to give Nightmare some time to calm down.  
“Then... Dream is your brother? Now that I think about it, you two do look alike”, Cross spoke again as he thought Nightmare calmed down a little.  
“Twins”, Nightmare said, burying his head in Cross' chest. “We're twins.”  
“But then... how are you his servant?”  
“They separated us almost right after we were born. It's because of my soul, it shines in a darker hue. They were afraid I wouldn't be fitting as a prince. It seems they decided I could still be useful and raised me to become a servant. They told me I would serve my brother, but I was to never tell the secret to anyone. I guess they were hoping I would form some kind of emotional bond towards Dream. Can't say I didn't.” Nightmare laughed slightly.  
“But then... you're royalty!”  
“And I hope you keep it to yourself. Trust me, no one wants to go through whatever happens if you just announce you found the lost prince of the south. Don't do this to yourself, to Dream... to your kingdoms...”  
“Fine, I'll keep it”, Cross said. And after a long silence, he added: “Will you ever tell Dream? I'm certain he almost sees you as a brother without even realising.”  
“He is better off not knowing. Though, maybe... when the time is right? I don't know...”  
“Okay... and Nightmare?”  
“Hmm?”  
“Do you... love me?”, Cross could feel Nightmare tense in his arms at the question.  
After a long time Nightmare answered: “Do you?”  
Cross lifted Nightmare's head with his hand and gently kissed the other.  
Nightmare was shocked for a second, leaned into the kiss for a moment, then realised what he was doing and pulled back.  
That was all the answer any of them needed.  
“It's still wrong”, Nightmare said after a moment. “My heritage doesn't change it. I am a servant. And as a prince, you shouldn't...”  
Cross just kissed him again. Even if Nightmare would reject the kiss again, everything was better than to listen to him say it out loud.  
Though, to Cross' surprise, this time Nightmare leaned into the kiss. He sighed and Cross suddenly felt a tear on his own face. Nightmare was crying again.  
After a moment they broke the kiss. Cross tried to wipe the tears from Nightmare's face.  
“Nightmare”, Cross whispered. “I love you, so please, just let me...”  
“You wont be happy with this. I am too broken for you to fix. You will realize I can't give you what you want soon enough. ...And I would always have to be your secret.”  
“Why don't you, just for once try to think of your own happiness?”  
“I wasn't trained to.”  
“And what makes you think you know what I want of you? Just being with you like this is enough for me. At least let me try to fix you.”  
“Less holes still don't make a perfect container...”  
“I don't want perfect if I can have you.”  
The tears were back and Nightmare hid his face in Cross' chest. Clawing at his nightgown as the tremors shook him. That was just too much.  
“Sorry”, Cross said, rubbing small circles on Nightmare's back. “Too much? Probably... But I meant it, Nightmare.”  
“I can't do this to Dream...”, Nightmare tried to talk through his tears.  
“I can't change who I love, Nightmare”, Cross said sadly.  
“That's not it... it's just, that he will never find someone once he is married to you.”  
“I'm sure there are ways to get him some company”, Cross tried to reassure Nightmare.  
Nightmare took some time to consider what Cross had meant.  
“Fine”, Nightmare sighed. He was completely calm now. Which made him realise... a blanket? “What exactly brought you here in the first place, if you don't mind me asking? You seem equipped to spend the rest of the night here.”  
“I don't know why my body chose today, but no matter how exhausted I felt I just couldn't fall asleep. On those nights I try to relax in the garden, to clear my head of anything that keeps me from sleeping. It seemed quite chilly so I brought a blanket.”  
“And here I was, keeping you from getting anything off your mind and just giving you more things to think about...”  
“Heh, don't worry. I feel a lot better after talking this out with you”, Cross smiled. He meant it. “I think, I might even be able to sleep now. And you should get some rest too. Let's head back to our rooms, okay?”  
“Yeah, you're probably right”, Nightmare agreed and pulled himself out of Cross' embrace to get up. Then he held a hand out to Cross.  
“Still the always helpful servant I see”, Cross joked as he accepted the help.  
“Who knows, I might as well be the kind and helpful boyfriend”, Nightmare joked right back.  
Now that was a side of the servant Cross saw for the first time... No, it was not a side of the servant. It was a side of Nightmare, the person that was carefully hidden behind the mask of a servant.  
After that, they went back to their rooms and enjoyed a peaceful rest of the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As always, comments are appreciated and keep me motivated!  
> Just tell me you were here, please :)


	8. Chapter 7: A nice Day at the Park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Takes place four days after the last upload.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am very sorry that this is so late. I had to take care of my own health for a little.  
> As an apology you get two chapters at once! (Partly because if you read this chapter without the NSFW it's only half a chapter...)
> 
> SO, there will be NSFW in this chapter, but you can skip it if you want.  
> I will put a warning before the action and an announcement after it's done and a short summary in the end notes for those that really don't want any of it :)  
> Hope you enjoy this chapter, whether you read it with or without the NSFW part!

Despite what one might believe, considering the occasion, the past few days went pretty normal and uneventful for Dream. Sure, the servants had a lot more to do, so they could be seen running through the halls more frequently, but the two kings took most planning aspects to themselves so both Dream and Cross were left to do whatever they wanted.  
Nightmare was still left out of most tasks, which Dream used to explore the castle together with Nightmare. He wanted to get a better orientation of the place he would stay in for what would most likely be the rest of his life.  
Today, however, he told Nightmare he wanted to try walking around the place on his own. So right now he was walking down the hall aimlessly, deep in thought.  
The last few days he couldn't stop thinking about Ink. Dream really wanted to see the artist again. This might just be the perfect moment to slip out again. So he went back to his room to get changed.  
It was a already past lunch, so he had no time to waste. He got into his usual dress-up, took some money and left a note on the bedside table that just said “city” on it.  
Still unable to saddle a horse, he took the walk.

He arrived at the city gates and walked straight to Ink's house. He knew the way there like his morning routine by now. He entered the house.  
“Ink, are you home?”, he said a little louder, expecting the artist to be upstairs. “It's me, Nightmare. I'm back again!”  
Dream was sure he heard some things getting dropped upstairs, but within a few seconds a paint covered artist stood before him.  
“Night”, Ink looked troubled by something.  
“Hmm, something wrong? Did you manage to pay your rent?”  
“You should know I did, Night. After all, the money must have been yours.”  
“A-are you mad at me?”, Dream was shocked. Had he done something wrong?  
“I'm worried”, was what Ink said. “You always come here with a lot of money, but you told me you ran away from home... So it's either you're lying, your parents are incredibly rich but you don't look like it or... you're doing something dangerous...” Ink wasn't looking at Dream, he was looking down and his hands were clutching his scarf.  
“I-I”, stars, Dream didn't know what to say. None of the possible answers were the one he wanted to give.”I wasn't lying about running from home...”, was the best he could manage.  
“So... are you... a thief? Are you stealing money or trinkets which you sell? Or are you selling... y-your uh b- body? I-I'm not judging! I just don't want you to get into danger for me! Because... heh, really, I'm not worth it.”  
“But you are, Ink!”, Dream got louder and held Ink by the shoulders. “And don't worry about me. The money is... my father's. We... actually have a lot of it... I'm sorry.”  
“So... you're better off... but you still feel like running away from home? Is your father... mean to you?”  
Dream sighed and took a step back.  
“I run away from home because there are times I don't want to deal with all the... things going on. My father especially. He isn't treating me bad, in particular...but... I would rather not talk about the details...”  
“Okay, okay”, Ink went to hug Dream. “I just wanted to make sure you weren't getting into danger of being caught by guards for stealing or something. It's alright.”  
Dream accepted the hug and sank in to it. They stood like this for a while.  
“Actually”, Dream spoke up, still hugging Ink. This might be his only chance to say it. “There was something I really wanted you to know, though.”  
“Hmm?”  
“I think I love you, Ink.”  
Ink immediately pushed Dream away and went to grab a bucket from the counter. Only to puke ...ink? into it.  
“A-are you alright? Ink!?”  
Ink cleaned his mouth with his sleeve and looked back up at Dream.  
“Yeah, sorry about that... happens when I get excited... heh. Also sorry about pushing you like that, I didn't want to ruin your outfit. The ink is hard to wash out...”, Ink laughed.  
“Alright”, Dream laughed. “Now that that's off the table, will I get something that's more tangible of an answer than you puking?”  
Ink immediately blushed all the colours of the rainbow again.  
“Y-yeah. I... um... I love you too, Night.”  
Dream smiled and grabbed Ink by the scarf. He pulled him towards himself and kissed him, gently. Ink kissed back, smiling into the kiss. And here he thought himself weird for falling in love with someone he only met twice before.  
After a while they broke the kiss and Dream leaned his head on Ink's shoulder.  
“So... juice and doughnuts?”, Ink asked. “Or did you just come here for a confession?”  
“Juice and doughnuts and a nice afternoon at the park sounds great”, Dream agreed.  
So they went their usual way over the market and to the park.

They lay down in the grass next to each other eating doughnuts or sipping juice, letting the wind rustle trough their clothes and looking up at the few clouds that scattered across the sky above them.  
“So”, Dream started. His head was pretty much buried in Ink's scarf by now, both of them laying interwoven in a warm embrace. “You have these money problems often?”  
“Even if I had, don't even think about becoming my new source of money”, Ink shut him down immediately.  
“Just asking”, Dream hummed. “Because you are a good artist.”  
“Well, art isn't the best source of income in this city”, Ink answered truthfully. “I just figured it's the only thing I'm actually good at. I don't have the patience for fishing and I don't have the stamina for physically hard work like on the fields or in a bakery. When I first came here I tried a lot of things to get some money, but I either collapsed or they told me to go before I ruin anything... I'm really prone to chaos for some reason. I'm too energetic for one, lacking stamina for the other. But in art I loose myself and become a different person. I figured, I would just have to make do with what I got from paintings. I got offered to use my energy... otherwise a lot of times, actually. But something about the dark parts of the city scared me even more than being unable to pay my rent.”  
“It's sad, isn't it? How the good people always struggle for money in this world. And then there are people like me, my family... Just drowning in wealth and turning a blind eye.”  
“It's okay, you know”, Ink kissed Dream on the head. “You can't just hand money out to everyone, since you would be left with none in the end. And if you kept some for yourself you would have to choose who to give something to. Wouldn't you feel bad, deciding about other people like that?”  
“I... never thought about It like that”, Dream noticed.  
“Let's talk about something nicer for a change, alright Night”, Ink smiled. “Like the clouds! See that one over there? Don't you think it looks a lot like a cat?”  
“Hmm? Nah, that could easily be a dog... you could do it better”, Dream laughed.  
“Haha, thanks for the compliment”, Ink started giggling as well. “But that over there is definitely a bird!”  
“Hmm, okay, yeah. And that's a flower, right next to it!”  
They laughed about the clouds for a while, but the sky was mostly clear, so they had to resort to other things to talk about.  
“You know”, Ink spoke again, after they just cuddled in blissful silence, “I always thought I was the crazy one out of us. For falling in love with the stranger I met only twice. But it seems you are just as crazy.”  
“I don't think it takes a long time to figure whether a person is someone you can trust as a friend or not. I like to believe I know my fair share about reading people when it comes to that. And feeling things like affection or love... it's like knowing you want to be closer to that person, than you would be to a friend. So if you can decide whether you want someone as a friend or not in mere minutes, why should you take more than a few days to figure whether you love someone or not? You are pretty open about you feelings and intentions, so I didn't have to search for my answers at all.”  
“Well, you are still a mystery to me”, Ink admitted, “But I feel drawn to you anyway. Like I just know that I love you.”  
“I love you too, Ink”, Dream said as he placed a hand on the grass next to Ink's head to hover above him and kissed him softly.  
After a few moments they broke the kiss to look into the eyes of the other.  
Ink's eyes were heart shaped. “Cute”, Dream whispered.  
All Ink could manage was a rainbow blush.

NSFW starts here! Continue at own risk!

The way Ink looked at that moment made a sudden need arise in Dream's soul?  
Dream kissed him again, gliding his tongue along Ink's mouth to get in. Ink was so startled by the sudden intrusion it took him a moment to for his tongue to form, so Dream got to taste the others pure magic.  
Dream wasn't done with him yet, he was only getting started. He let one of his legs travel to the other side of Ink's body, trapping the other completely under him. He didn't break the kiss as he let one of his hands travel down Ink's ribs and into his shirt while the other held his head in place. He smiled into the kiss as he drew a moan from Ink while he met a certain spot on his ribs, and finally broke the kiss to let Ink get some air.  
“N-night, what.. ah-”  
Dream blushed a faint yellow as he stuck his thumb in to Ink's mouth.  
“Look, even your tongue is a rainbow. You really are cute”, he cooed.  
Ink's blush just deepened at that. Dream took his thumb out of Ink's mouth again to use both hands to pull up Ink's shirt a little. Just high enough to get good access to the others ribs but not pull it over his head or arms.  
“Look at yourself”, Dream said, staring down at Ink's ribs to make his point clearer. “What are these? Tattoos? Your ribs look amazing. You're a piece of art yourself!”  
“W-well I was born with these...”, Ink turned his head to the side in a futile attempt to hide his blush.  
Dream caressed the others ribs further.  
“So you were already born an artist”, he said as he went back to kissing Ink.  
The others soft words, his hands on his ribs and these demanding kisses were enough for Ink's magic to form.  
Dream sighed into the kiss as something hard pressed against his hipbones. Stars, how much he wanted this. How much he wanted _Ink_ right now.  
He let his own magic form, grinding against Ink, drinking his moans in a passionate kiss.  
One of his hands travelled down to tug at Ink's overalls.  
“Let's see if you're the same cute rainbow down here”, Dream said as he moved his whole body down to Ink's hips.  
“N-night, wait”, Ink started to complain but Dream had already pulled his pants down.  
“Cute”, Dream mumbled as he looked at the rainbow erection that stood proudly in front of him.  
Ink didn't know whether to cover his eyes and the rainbow blush that took over most of his face in embarrassment or watch the hot show Dream was putting up down at his member.  
Dream got to work, starting with his hands but quickly came to the decision that he wanted attention as well and it wouldn't work like this. So he took Ink into his mouth, working his tongue up and down while he frantically tried to get his own pants off somehow.  
He managed to pull them down enough to somehow get one leg out, giving him enough freedom. He would make do with this somehow.  
He kept his mouth on Ink while his hands worked on stretching himself. He knew that he must have looked quiet desperate but at this very moment he couldn't care less. He wanted Ink to take him right here, right now. And if he had to work to get it, stars! He would.  
Ink seemed to have finally snapped out of his initial shock or embarrassment as he stopped Dreams head with his hands and pulled him up into a kiss.  
“Let me help you a little, won't you, Nighty”, Ink whispered seductively right next to the others 'ears'.  
Dream watched as Ink licked his fingers and moved them downwards. Moments later he felt Ink pull his hands away from their position on his entrance to replace them with his own, still clothed in these weird fingerless gloves.  
Ink began to work his fingers in and out, getting this slick wetness everywhere and hitting just the right places.  
Dream, who finally realised what was happening could only slump over to lay on Ink's ribs and bury his face in the others neck, left as a moaning mess. This felt so different from his own hands, so much _better_. If this was how he was going down, he didn't mind giving up the control to Ink.  
Dream was so caught up in moaning and grinding down on Ink's fingers that he almost forgot his initial plan. Upon remembering he stopped and moved his hands down to pry Ink's fingers away.  
“Don't want to enjoy yourself anymore?” Ink asked.  
“Next step”, was all Dream managed to get out between pants.  
Before Ink could ask what he meant by this, Dream already grabbed his erection and guided it to his own entrance. He raised his hips slightly, only to slowly sink down onto Ink. Both of them were moaning uncontrollably until Dream finally sat down flat on Ink. Dream smiled slightly, looking down at were the rainbow shone through the yellow of his own.  
Ink wouldn't leave him this moment of admiration for long though, as he took both Dreams shoulders and flung him over so that now, Ink was on top.  
“Okay, you had your fun, Nighty”, Ink purred. “Time for me to get to work, don't you think?”  
And without further warning Ink started moving. Slowly at first but every moan he drew from Dream made him speed up more.  
Seeing the other in complete ecstasy was almost enough to send him over the edge, but Ink didn't want it to end yet, he wanted so much more. He wanted to feel the other, make him feel where he belonged. He wanted to touch him more, feel him everywhere.  
He was lucky that Dream's tunic was closed with buttons on the front, so he quickly opened them to be able to move his hands up and down the others ribcage. The moans with which he was rewarded were all he needed.  
Dream wrapped one of his legs around Ink's back and tried his best to meet the others thrusts. Ink left one hand on Dreams ribs while pulling him into a deep kiss with the other.  
“N-night”, he panted.  
“D-don't... huh...don't stop... now.. Inky...ugh.. so close.”  
That was all he needed. Ink sped up his movements one last time, hitting that sweet spot that made Dream moan like no other.  
“Ah, Ink”, was all Dream got out as he pulled Ink down into a hug that turned into a deep kiss.  
Feeling Dream clench around him like this sent Ink over the edge, too, moaning into the kiss. He road out his orgasm before pulling out and collapsing next to Dream.  
For a few moments they just lay in silence, hands touching between them.  
“I'm yours now”, Dream was the first to speak.  
“You are”, Ink huffed out. “Got coloured in all colours of the rainbow today.”  
Dream chuckled. “Your magic's cute.”  
As soon as they could move again, both boys tried to get their outfits back to look moderately acceptable. Lucky enough, they only really had to redo their pants. 

NSFW end

Then they sat back down to watch the sunset.  
“The sky is wearing your colour now”, Ink said.  
“It's your colour, too”, Dream said. “Because they are all yours.”  
He cuddled up to Ink, laying his head in the crook of the others neck.  
_Yellow, orange,red._ The colours of the sky intermingled, slowly turning darker.  
The sunset and the smell of paint coming from Ink almost lulled Dream in, until he realized...  
“The sunset... oh stars, when does the sun set here?”  
“Hmm, around seven p.m.?”, Ink answered.  
That made Dream jump up.  
“No”, he looked panicked. “No, no, no. I'm late, stars I'm so late. I have to get back, now! I have to go, Ink. I-”  
Ink got up and put a comforting hand on Dreams shoulder.  
“Don't panic, Night. I'll take you to the exit of the city now.”  
“Oh stars, I hope Night covered for me. I hope he's alright...”  
“Night? But you are Nightmare, right?”, Ink asked confused and Dream realized what he said.  
“Uh... Night...shade... my .. uh .. brother”, Dream tried to catch his mistake. Hopefully Ink wouldn't notice the lie. “He always covers for me when I do something reckless or stupid. Or something I shouldn't do...”  
“Alright”, Ink seemed to believe him. “To my home? Or should I bring you further.”  
“To yours is okay”, Dream said.  
While they walked back Ink did his best to reassure Dream, while the latter tried not to freak out too much. Night got this, right? He would have found some way to cover for Dream's absence during dinner. He just _had _to.  
They quickly arrived at Ink's house. Dream wasn't even sure what to say. He wasn't sure he'd be able to meet Ink again.  
“Ink”, he started, tears streaming down his face. “No matter how long I'll be gone, I will try my best to meet you again. Just promise me, you won't forget-”  
“Never”, Ink cut him short and raised his hand to wipe the tears away. “I will never forget you, Night. I love you!”  
“I love you too, Ink”, Dream said and kissed him, long and deep.  
“Stay save, Ink.”  
“You too, Night.”  
And they parted.__

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Summary:  
> Dream goes back to the city because he really wants to see Ink again. Ink confronts him about the money he left him the last time and Dream has to admit, that his family has a lot of money. Then Dream confesses his love and after Ink puked Ink into a bucket he tells him he feels the same. They get juice and doughnuts as always and then look at the clouds while having some nice chit-chat in the park. After some time Dream realizes he's wayy to late for lunch and basically sprints back to the castle. 
> 
> I am back!  
> Tell me anything in the comments?


	9. Chapter 8: What doesn't Kill you leaves you Broken instead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Back to Nightmare and Cross

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Oh yeah, referenced self harm and blood/violence trigger warnings go right to this chapter)
> 
> So, my beta told me to clear this up a little.  
> For the past 4 days (that I didn't write because it wouldn't have filled a chapter and would have been rather boring) Cross did his best to show Nightmare that he really loves him and Nightmare is starting to give in and accept him as his lover. Nightmare also loves Cross but he is an idiot in denial.

Cross heard a knock on his door.  
“Who is it?”  
“It's Nightmare”, he heard the servant from the other side.  
“Come in”, Cross answered.  
The door opened to reveal a completely uncertain Nightmare. He held both his hands folded in front of his chest. He looked like anything could just knock him over and crumble him any moment.  
“He isn't back yet”, was all he said, after closing the door.  
“What do you mean, he isn't back yet?”  
“D-dream left and he hasn't returned yet”, Nightmare looked about to cry. “I didn't want to bother you, but it's almost dinner time and... we'll have to cover for him.”  
“So you came here to talk about the cover story with me?”, Cross looked at his boyfriend, who just nodded. “Shit, Night, come here”, he patted the spot next to him on the sofa.  
Nightmare sat down next to Cross. He looked so much smaller all of a sudden. Cross pulled him in to a hug.  
“We got this, okay? It'll be alright, Nightmare.”  
Nightmare immediately relaxed into Cross' arms.  
“It has to be good, believable enough to keep his father away until he is back...”, Nightmare started. “So, I thought, we say he doesn't feel too well. He said, he couldn't stomach anything and went to sleep. We didn't wake him because he should rest...”  
“Okay, yeah. That sounds good.”  
“I will tell him. I just need you to confirm it if he doesn't believe it. Say you saw him too and he didn't look too good. But reassure them, that he will be better before the ball. Something like that.”  
“I can do that, don't worry”, Cross said softly. “Do you want to stay a little longer? We still have a few minutes.”  
“Yes, please”, Nightmare whispered and sunk even deeper into Cross.  
They stayed like this for a few minutes until Cross talked again.  
“Sorry Night, but we will have to go now. Feel any better?”  
Nightmare looked up at him before he slowly got off the sofa.  
“Good enough”, he said and they both walked down to the dining hall.  
Cross sat down on his usual place as Nightmare greeted the king.  
“Your Majesty”, he bowed.  
“Where is my son?”, the king asked immediately.  
“He wasn't feeling too well, so I told him to get some rest. He is still sleeping and I very much believe he needs it”, Nightmare explained.  
“You are aware, that his marriage is planned two day from now!”  
“I am aware, my lord. I also believe, that with the right care, medication and a lot of rest he should be feeling better soon.”  
“Then why aren't you taking care of him right now?”, the king got visibly angry.  
“I only came here to explain the situation and shall return to the young lord immediately”, Nightmare explained calm and well mannered.  
But it seemed the king didn't want to hear any of it.  
“Enough of this bullshit!”, he screamed as he took Nightmare by the collar and threw him against the next wall.  
Nightmare crashed against the wall and face first into a lamp that was placed at it. It sounded disturbing and the young servant slowly slid down the wall, leaving a bloody trail.  
Cross shot up from his seat.  
“I think I told you”, he started, holding his anger in as good as possible. “No violence against servants in our castle! What am I supposed to tell our servants if they see him like this? Stars, what am I supposed to tell my fiancée once he wakes up?”  
As Cross still stared down the king Nightmare slowly tried to stand up, using the wall as support. He looked at the wall and the shattered lamp and suddenly all eyes were on him.  
“I-i'm very sorry, I shall clean up the mess immedia- ugh..”, he tried to talk, but his legs gave in and he slumped down again.  
“You aren't going to clean up anything”, Cross said, walking around and picking him up.  
“I will take care of his injuries on my own”, Cross stated in a tone that told everyone, not to object. He turned to his father: “Father...”  
“I will get one of our servants to clean this, so you do what you have to, my son. And Nightmare, don't worry about coming back here today.”  
Cross nodded towards his father and went to his room.

He sat Nightmare down on the sofa and went to get the first aid kit, which he placed on the table.  
“Look, you don't have to do this. I can take care of my shit on my own, perfectly fine”, Nightmare complained.  
“Anything that happens in my castle is my responsibility. I don't care how good you can take care of yourself, I will do this for you because I want to and you got no say in this.”  
_Yeah_ , Nightmare thought, _this is the strong-willed prince I fell in love with, alright._  
After he was sure Nightmare was done complaining Cross finally got to look at his wounds. Glass was stuck to his face where it hit the lamp, his arm took most of the force and was probably broken. Cross would have to check that later.  
“I have to remove the glass... then clean the wound and patch it up... are you ready?”  
Nightmare looked up at Cross weakly, then just nodded.  
Cross carefully removed every piece of glass with a tweezer and put them in a bowl. Some of these pieces were to close to Nightmare's eyes for his liking. Then he got the antiseptic agent.  
“This is gonna sting”, he warned Nightmare. He just nodded.  
“Get it over with”, he whispered.  
Cross got a little concerned when Nightmare showed little to no reaction to the fluid that Cross used to clean the wounds.  
“I'll have to put a patch and a bandage over your eye...”, Cross stated.  
“Nothing I can do about it”, Nightmare said.  
Cross just sighted and got on with patching Nightmare up and put a bandage over his eye.  
“I will have to take your tunic off to look at you arm now.”  
“Is that really necessary? I don't think, my arm's-”  
“You are literally bleeding through your tunic and you think I believe you? I also heard that crack, so let me get you out of that”, Cross said firmly.  
“F-fine”, Nightmare agreed reluctantly.  
Cross helped him out of his tunic and finally understood why Nightmare never wanted anyone to see him like this.  
“Not the first crack you ever had, I see”, was the first thing he said. He wanted to lift the mood. Nightmare clearly wanted to hide this.  
Old scars and remnants of cracks, that didn't always heal perfectly. And then these all too linear marks on his wrists...  
But Cross had to focus on the big, bleeding crack on Nightmare's humerus.  
“I... could snap it back into place and fix it with healing magic”, he started, talking more to himself. “But my healing isn't great and it will most certainly hurt like hell.”  
“Just do it, I'm used to worse, trust me.”  
“That is more concerning than it is reassuring and I hope you know that, Night”, Cross said softly and placed a kiss on Nightmare's bandaged eye.  
“Sorry”, Nightmare laughed.  
“Alright, I'll do it now”, Cross said.  
“Hmm.”  
Cross started to focus his magic and they were soon engulfed in a dark green hue. A few painful minutes later Nightmare's bone was back in the position it belonged and Cross got to bandaging the wound. Only seconds later a bloodstain was visible on the bandage.  
Cross went to search trough a drawer again and came back with two pills and a glass of water. Nightmare gave him a questioning look.  
“These are different painkillers than the ones I gave you for your throat”, he explained. “You have to swallow them like this and use the water to get them down.”  
Nightmare nodded and took the pills first, then the glass of water. It's all suddenly more complicated if you can only use one arm.  
Cross watched Nightmare down the pills with the water and sat down next to him. On his good side.  
“How do you feel?”, he asked.  
“Like absolute bullshit”, Nightmare admitted with a sigh. “That just got out of hand.”  
“Hmm”, Cross looked away for a second. Then he remembered something and grabbed Nightmare's arm. “That's what you wanted to hide from me, right?”  
Nightmare looked down and chuckled slightly. “Isn't it ugly? It shows how weak I am. It's okay if you hate me now.”  
Nightmare expected everything. Everything but for Cross to bring the arm to his mouth and kiss the scars, then use his free hand to take Nightmare's face and press a soft kiss to the bridge of his nose.  
“Scars are a sign of a battle won, Nightmare. They aren't signs of your weakness. If anything, they are a sign of strength. I could never hate you, not for something like this.”  
“I haven't won anything, though, Cross”, Nightmare said as tears rose to his eyes. “I'm still fighting.”  
“Then at least, you aren't fighting alone anymore”, Cross said and pulled Nightmare into a hug. “Let me be your ally.”  
“You wouldn't take no for an answer anyway”, Nightmare giggled into the hug and let himself relax.  
They spend a while like this, but then Nightmare started shaking out of lack of clothing and nearly drifted into sleep as the painkillers kicked in.  
“Let's get you to your room, so you can dress in something clean”, Cross suggested.  
“Wouldn't it be better to take the old one until the wound stops bleeding?”, Nightmare asked, barely keeping himself awake.  
“I won't let the first thing Dream sees when he gets back be his blood covered servant, so no”, Cross said.  
“Hmm, fine, but I don't trust my legs.”  
“I don't trust anything about you right now. You're almost sleeping.”  
So Cross carried Nightmare over to his room and laid him down on the bed.  
“Okay, Night, help me”, Cross looked around the servants room.  
“Fresh clothes. Literally take the first tunic off the pile of clothes that is the only thing in the big wardrobe”, Nightmare mumbled.  
Only seconds later a fresh tunic landed on Nightmare's head. He sat up and got dressed. Then he tried to stand up.  
“Wow there, what do you think you're doing!”, Cross rushed to his side to support him.  
“Dreams room”, Nightmare said, barely audible. “If he comes back... need to talk to him.”  
Cross sighed and helped him walk over to the other room, then sat him down on the bed and sat next to him.  
“I'll wait too”, he said. “I have some things to talk to him about as well.”  
Exhausted and under the effect of the painkillers Nightmare slowly drifted into sleep, his head falling onto Cross' shoulder. Cross just smiled and hugged Nightmare closer to himself.

“I did not take you for a climber”, Cross could barely hold back a laugh as he saw Dream climb in to his room through the window.  
“Cross? What are you doing in my room?”, Dream asked, still climbing in. As soon as he managed to get trough the window he looked at the prince that sat on his bed. Together with...  
“Oh my god, Night! W-what happened?”, Dream ran to his bed to get a better look at his servant, sleeping in Cross' arms.  
“Watch out, the arm's broken”, Cross told Dream, who was to eager to check his servant. “Your father... threw him against the wall with the lamp, down at the dining hall. You remember, the one...”  
“Y-yeah”, Dream took a step back and looked at the two sitting on his bed. “It's my fault, isn't it? Because I'm late... because I went out again...”  
“Don't blame yourself, he wouldn't want you to”, Cross told Dream. “I think he bought the cover story though. Nightmare told him you were sleeping in ill today.”  
“O-okay, good”, Dream seemed to relax slowly.  
“We have to talk, all three of us”, Cross told him.  
“Don't wake him though”, Dream said as he got himself a chair. “He looks peaceful right now. Let's wait for him to wake.”  
“It might take a while though. I gave him some strong painkillers.”  
“We have time, don't we?”  
“Yeah”, Cross said. Then he looked Dream up and down. How come he only now noticed... “Is that one of Nightmare's outfits?”  
“O-oh, I should probably change back”, Dream got up from his chair. “I completely forgot about this! And yes, I um.. borrowed it from Night.”  
“You look like him in that...”, Cross noted, more to himself.  
“So... how did you end up with my servant in your arms anyway?”, Dream asked from behind the bed while he was changing.  
“I told him to take a rest, but he was all 'I have to be there when Dream comes back' so I placed him on the bed and waited with him... He just fell asleep on me.”  
“You don't mind it?”, Dream asked as he seated himself back on the chair, fully dressed in his usual clothes now.  
“He deserves some rest as well, don't you think?”  
“Hmm”, Dream agreed. “Oh, ugh... is his eye going to be...”  
“He had glass stuck pretty close to it, but I don't think it damaged his eye. I just wrapped it all up. Better save then sorry.”  
“You did?”  
“Surprised?”  
“Well, yes?! First of all, Night wouldn't let strangers help him in situations like that! Whenever … things went down on our court, I had to persuade him, even to let me help him. And second... I kinda didn't think you capable of... this, sorry.”  
“Yeah, I had a hard time telling him I would help him before it got worse...”, Cross looked down at the peacefully sleeping boy in his arms. “And, well, I know a few things about first aid. Even as a prince, you never know when it may come in handy.”  
Dream just nodded in agreement.  
Both of them looked at Nightmare as they heard a small moan from him. Still half asleep he moved his arm a little. Cross had his hand around it in mere seconds.  
“Careful, Nightmare, remember the crack you got there?”, he said softly.  
“H-huh? C-cr- uh, prince?”, Nightmare lifted his head to look around, then noticed Dream.  
“Good morning, Night”, Dream said with a hint of sadness in his voice.  
Nightmare slowly pried himself away from Cross' shoulder.  
“Prince, you could have woken me. Both of you. Is there anything you need?”  
“We wanted to let you rest, Night”, Dream said. “But now that you are awake, Cross said, he wanted all of us to talk about something.”  
“We should go to the garden”, Cross said. “It's the one place I know no one will listen.”  
“Alright”, Nightmare got up from the bed.  
“Lead the way”, Dream said as he stood up.  
So Cross lead both of them to the garden.

By now the sun had set and the moon started making it's presence on the sky. The garden glowed in the blue shine it had at night and the flowers were blooming again.  
“The garden looks amazing!”, Dream said as all three of them sat down on a bench. “I think, now I understand why you go here so often, Night!”  
“Y-yeah, it's beautiful, right?”, Nightmare said as he tried to hide a small blush that formed on his face.  
Cross just laughed at that.  
“Alright, Dream, you probably already guessed that this is about your frequent... trips to the city”, Cross started the conversation.  
Dream nodded.  
“Well, before we get to the matter at hand, I have a confession to make on my own.”  
Cross looked at Nightmare, who sat next to him. As Nightmare realised, what Cross was about to say he took a deep breath and shut his visible eye. Cross grabbed Nightmare's hand in a reassuring gesture.  
“I'm listening then”, Dream said.  
“I... happen to have fallen for your servant”, Cross stated, eyes fixed on the fountain.  
“As if in... you _love_ Nightmare?”, Dream asked, a little unbelieving.  
Cross nodded.  
“But, that's great!”, Dream seemed happy. “Well, if... Night? Do you actually...?”  
“Y-yeah. I'm sorry, I know I shouldn't-”  
“Noo, that's great, Night! I mean, someone who actually cares about you? And I can give you as much free time as you want, so you two can spend some time together! I want you to be happy! So please, don't tell yourself you don't deserve this!”  
“You are... taking this better than I expected”, Nightmare noticed. “You met someone in the city, didn't you? And then you kept visiting them...”  
Dream blushed. “I met the best artist ever on my first day in the city”, he admitted.  
“And you fell in love with this person?”, Cross asked.  
“Yes, though, now I don't know when I might be able to see him again.”  
“What if... we hire him to our court? Like a private painter? I always wanted one. And you could see each other every day!”, Cross suggested.  
“You would do that for me?”, Dream got excited. “Though, wouldn't it seem weird if I spend more time with him than with... you know, the person I married?”  
“Then... why don't you two just switch?”, Cross asked a little absent-mindedly.  
“We what? Who?”, Dream was confused.  
“P-prince Cross”, Nightmare shook his head as he got Cross' attention.  
“I think you should tell him, Nightmare. This might be your best opportunity.”  
“What is this all about, Night?”, Dream got curious.  
“Well, you see, prince... We... the two of us are... We were born as twins”, Nightmare spoke the last bit so fast, Dream took a moment to realise what he just heard.  
“We are... twins? Brothers? But then... I mean, you always felt like my missing half... but. Father made you my servant... why would he... _**Why would he abuse his own son?**_ I don't understand”, Dream was shaking now.  
Nightmare stood up and walked over to Dream. He hugged him with his unbroken arm.  
“They said, I would never be fitting as a prince because I was born with a dark soul. Father hates me and uses every excuse he can get to show it to me. But it's okay. As long as I could be close to you, I would endure it, is what I told myself.”  
“That's not fair!”, tears fell from Dream's eyes. “It could have been me...”  
“I'm glad we got born like this and not vice versa. I couldn't see you get hurt like this.”  
They sat in silence for a while, Nightmare trying his best to comfort Dream.  
“So what did Cross mean by 'switching up' exactly?”, Dream asked as he got a little better.  
“I mean, you two look nearly identical. Nightmare once told me, the only difference between you are your eyes. Probably because your souls reflect in them. So, if Nightmare wore your clothes and you dressed in his... nobody would notice a thing.”  
“I... wouldn't have to be a prince anymore... and I could spend time with Ink.”  
“Being a servant is no easy task”, Nightmare reminded them.  
“I'm sure we can find regulations to keep him out of work”, Cross said.  
“But... I'm not cut out to be a prince... what if I slip up?”, Nightmare decided to sit down next to Dream.  
“You won't”, Dream stated. “You spend enough time with me to know how to be me.”  
“Well, you got some time to train anyway”, Cross said. “You can't switch as long as you have these wounds on you, Night.”  
“We have to wait until the king leaves anyway. He would easily notice the difference between us”, Nightmare stated.  
“He will be taking his leave one or two days after the marriage. After that, we can get that artist here and see how good your wounds look by then. For getting your boyfriend here, I think we visit him together once we have time for it after your father left, alright Dream?”  
“Yeah, that sounds like a great plan!”, Dream said excited.

They all went back to their own rooms after that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm also sorry if this is getting cringy?  
> Meh, it's just my selfindulgent writing after all.  
> God, I get really insecure about my writing lately.  
> Well, thanks for reading anyway!  
> Leave some comments?


	10. Chapter 9: The Long awaited Ceremony

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yes, it's the day of their marriage.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here, have a boring ceremony chapter!  
> Somehow I struggled with this chapter more than necessary at the beginning and then it just went it's own way and now it's 4600 words instead of my usual 3000.  
> I got a terribe case of insomnia again and now I'm tired.  
> Well, I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Dream sighed inwardly, not wanting to show his disdain to the others sitting on the table. The whole castle was in turmoil, servants running around the main hall to set everything up for the marriage ceremony and the following ball today, yet here they were, eating breakfast like nothing was the matter. He couldn't really stomach anything, so he was just pretending to enjoy cuddling Cross, hoping no one would notice he barely touched his food.  
He was happy to leave once everyone was done, basically dragging Cross and Nightmare away from the dining hall.  
Once in his room he just face planted on his bed.  
“Is there anything-”, Nightmare started his usual question.  
“I just want this day to be over”, Dream whined into a pillow. “And you, go to your room and let Cross do his thing! I'll just stay like this for a while.”  
“Are you sure?”, Nightmare asked.  
A hand on his shoulder and a sad smile from Cross told him he shouldn't pester Dream right now.  
“Come Nightmare, we're going to my room. Those patches need to be changed and I will look at your arm again.”  
Nightmare reluctantly agreed and followed his boyfriend to his room.

“He's not taking it well”, Nightmare said while Cross unwrapped the bandage covering his eye. “He should be eating, I'm worried...” After a small pause he added: “How bad is it?”  
“We won't need to keep a bandage around it”, Cross said. “I will cover the nasty bruises with some white plaster strips and you should be good to go. Well, after I had a look at your arm.”  
Cross threw the old patches into a bin and went to get the medical supplies.  
“And don't worry to much about Dream, he will be back to his usual self once we get his boyfriend here. He's just a little anxious about the whole ceremony thing.”  
After Cross put some plaster strips on Nightmare's face he helped the other get out of his tunic and took off the old bandage. Upon touching the wound he received a pained sound from Nightmare.  
“Sorry, I didn't-”  
“Don't worry, I was just... surprised”, Nightmare reassured his boyfriend. “Hurts more than I expected it to.”  
“Hmm”, Cross hummed while looking at the broken bone. “It's going to leave a scar but at least it's growing together straight. Heh, got lucky you didn't break your whole arm off, though that was a nasty crack anyway.”  
“Yeah, thank you for taking care of me”, Nightmare looked at Cross while he wrapped a new bandage around his arm.  
As soon as he was done with the bandage Cross took Nightmare's head in his hands and placed a soft kiss on his forehead.  
“I'd do anything for you.”  
“I still think you shouldn't...”  
“Night!”  
“Sorry”, Nightmare leaned into Cross' touch. “You're too kind.”  
“I love you too, Nightmare.”  
They cuddled a little longer, then Nightmare got dressed and stood up from the sofa.  
“I should check on Dream.”  
“Probably”, Cross agreed. “You know where to find me.”  
Nightmare nodded and left for Dream's room.

“Prince?”  
“Yeah, come in Night”, from the sound of it, Dream was still talking into a pillow.  
As soon as Nightmare entered his brother's room he was proven right. The young prince was still lying on his bed, face pushed into a pillow.  
“That bad?”, Nightmare sighed.  
“I feel like puking, honestly. The whole ball thing is making me sick. Cake and alcohol, drunken aristocrats until deep into the night and I can't even excuse myself away from it because I will be the centre of attention.”  
Nightmare sat down on the bed and let his hand glide over his brother's back.  
“It'll be alright. It will be over tomorrow”, he tried to sooth him.  
Dream sat up and looked at Nightmare.  
“Glad to see both your eyes again. I was afraid it got damaged somehow. And with the white plasters you almost look normal again. How do you feel today?”  
“I feel a lot better already”, Nightmare touched a plaster on his face. “Cr- uh.. the prince is doing a great job.”  
Dream laughed: “You know you can call him Cross when we're alone, Night!”  
“I shouldn't get used to it or I might slip up and get us into trouble.”  
“Don't be so hard on yourself”, Dream said and cuddled up to Nightmare, head on the other's shoulder. “Stay like this for a while?”  
“Hmm.”

After lunch, everything went so fast. He and Cross had to go to separate rooms to get changed. Nightmare guided Dream over and helped him get dressed.  
A long, white short-sleeved coat-like tunic, held together by a black belt, black gloves, starting right where the sleeves ended, black pants, black boots. Dream sighed.  
“How do you feel?”, Nightmare asked.  
“It's just... not my style, I guess?”, Dream admitted. “Though, I know you already worked wonders for the main tunic to be white.” Dream turned away from the mirror to look at Nightmare. “I don't want to do this.”  
“I'm sorry”, Nightmare said sadly. “I will have to bring you to your father now.”  
“Where will I find you after the formalities?”  
“I will find you, don't worry”, Nightmare smiled.

Dream's father was waiting outside of the room, offering his hand to his son. Dream took it.  
“Dream?”  
“Father..”  
“Are you ready?”  
“I am.”  
“The colours suit you.”  
“Thank you.”  
Conversations with his father always seemed so... cold.  
The music started and they began to walk down the great hall.  
The hall was full of aristocrats standing around the tables full of desserts and alcohol or sitting in small groups, some already drunk, others doing their best to get there.  
And at the far end of the hall, where his father was taking him, stood Cross with his father next to him. Cross wore a beautiful, long black coat, long sleeves, black pants, black boots. His outfit looked heavy, the black colour just adding to it. The trademark white crosses stitched along the sides didn't really do anything to change that fact.  
As they finally made it to the front, standing exactly opposite of Cross and his father, suddenly the whole hall fell silent.  
One of the southern king's men walked over from the back, carrying the rings on a velvet pillow.  
Then he started the speech.  
“Today we have gathered here, to not only celebrate the two princes joining hands in marriage, but also two kingdoms joining hands in peace.  
If anyone has any objection to this they shall speak now, or forever hold their peace."  
The silence was deafening.  
"Then, with this hall as our witnesses, your bond shall be made official.  
Cross, from the kingdom in the north, do you promise to take Dream as your husband, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health for as long as you both shall live?"  
"I do."  
"Dream, from the kingdom in the south, do you promise to take Cross as your husband, for better or for worse, in sickness and in health for as long as you both shall live?"  
"I do."  
"Then you may now take the rings and speak your vows."  
Cross took the ring.  
"With this, I vow to do my all to be the best husband you can wish for, to love you to the extent of my soul. To the people in our joined kingdom I vow to be the best prince I can be and to uphold the peace with all my might."  
He took Dream's hand and slid the ring on.  
Dream took the other ring.  
"With this, I vow to do my all to be a husband you can count on. I vow to see this part of our joined kingdom as much as my home as the place I came from. I shall stand on your side and support you to uphold a peace our fathers and ancestors worked hard for."  
He took Cross' hand and slid the ring on.  
They both took each others hands in their own.  
"Cross and Dream, by the power invested in me, I now pronounce you married! You may seal your vows with a kiss!"  
The whole hall erupted in applause and cheers as the two princes kissed each other.

But really the whole marriage was just pomp and circumstance and as soon as the applause died down the princes were pushed behind their parents who started to read the peace treaty out loud.  
Dream didn't even listen, to busy with his own thoughts and trying to hold back tears he couldn't quite grasp the reason for.  
The whole thing felt like it took an eternity, though Dream knew it would only be mere minutes. The two kings ceremoniously wrote their names under the document and sealed it with their seals. The whole hall gave a standing ovation.  
The whole thing was followed by the ceremonial dance and the cutting of the wedding cake.  
The princes shared the first peace. It tasted like nothing but sugar.  
After that, they were free to go trough the hall to 'socialize' as their parents told them, though all they wanted was some good cake and quiet for once.  
As soon as they went down to the line of cakes on the buffet they were greeted by Nightmare, holding a tray.  
“You want a more quiet place for now, right?”, he asked. “Follow me.”  
Dream and Cross were both more than slightly confused but followed him anyway. He lead them to a small table with two chairs in the far back of the hall and placed the tray on the table. It held two pieces of cake and two glasses with... something to drink.  
“I heard the actual wedding cake is just a bunch of sugar and cream thrown together so I got you this one, it was claimed to be the best cake so far”, Nightmare explained as he put a plate in front of each prince. “And this was pretty much the only non alcoholic thing I could find, but it should be refreshing.” Nightmare took the tray off the table and held it behind his back.  
Dream and Cross took a moment to first look at the cake and then at Nightmare.  
“Wow, Nightmare”, Dream didn't quite believe what he saw.  
Nightmare wore a beautiful black tunic over his usual black pants. He wore black dress shoes instead of his usual purple boots and he wore black gloves. He looked amazing. Amazing enough for a blush to spread over Cross' face at least.  
“Hmm?”  
“Y-your outfit, Night”, Cross managed to speak. “It's great, where..?”  
“ 'I am really glad you are feeling better, Nightmare. And I am sure they would both like to have you with them during the ball. So I will take it upon myself to make you look decent enough', is what your father told me yesterday”, Nightmare smiled.  
“M-my father dressed you..”, Cross was shocked.  
“Well, my father wouldn't allow him to look _this_ decent”, Dream stated.  
“You shouldn't be fussing over my outfit...”  
“Well, you look really good”, Dream smiled at him. “I mean, you look _noble_ and Cross can barely hold himself back from either a nosebleed or drooling all over you.”  
“H-hey!”, Cross wanted to say _anything_ in his defence, but couldn't form any coherent words and just resorted to covering the blush that was slowly spreading further across his face.  
Nightmare blushed a little himself. “Well, you should really try the cake tough”, he told them.  
Both princes tried the cake Nightmare brought.  
“It's good”, Dream smiled.  
“Anything's better than the wedding cake”, Cross mumbled.  
As they were eating, a lot of wedding guests came up to them to give their congratulations. The princes had hoped for some quiet time, but with how they stood out with their outfits, they should have expected to be found easily. They tried to smile through it as good as possible. Until...  
Someone nearly fell on to the table the two sat at. Nightmare dropped the tray to save the glasses while the princes caught their plates. The guy somehow managed to peel himself off the table and Nightmare put the glasses back down.  
“Congrats t'yer marriage”, he mumbled, clearly drunk.  
“T-thank you”, the princes answered, clearly uncomfortable.  
“Good sir, I don't want to make assumptions but I would suggest you to get some fresh air”, Nightmare said careful, as to not anger the drunk. “You are clearly unwell.”  
“Oh, yeah, why don't you help me find my way out”, he answered, while staring at Nightmare.  
“H-he is my personal servant, he is not going anywhere!”, Dream exclaimed.  
“Oh, dun worry, little prince, it's only gon' be a moment”, the man slurred and stumbled over to Nightmare.  
Cross couldn't take it. “Hands off him”, he demanded. Then he whistled and another servant came up to them. “Sorry to bother, but this man is clearly drunk. Take him somewhere he won't bother my guests and servants.”  
The servant nodded, clearly getting the indication and disappeared with the drunken guest.  
As they were both out of sight Dream started laughing.  
“What's this about now?”, Cross asked.  
“I don't know”, Dream could barely hold back. “Somehow, the picture of you protecting Nighty's virginity is just... so funny.”  
“Ugh... okay, that's it”, Cross looked done with the whole thing. “Time to get wasted!”  
Nightmare looked clearly uncomfortable with the whole situation. “I don't think that is a good idea, prince.”  
“Yeah, I wouldn't recommend it either”, Dream was still laughing. “Who's going to protect my servant's ass when you are completely drunk?”  
“Why can't this evening be over already?”, Cross sighed.  
“Well, you spend long enough over a piece of cake, that they are serving the main dinner now”, Nightmare told them.  
“Well, I'm getting food then”, Cross said, standing up.  
Dream and Nightmare followed him.  
After walking the food aisle for a while, they sat back down.  
Cross threw Nightmare a slice of bread. Which the latter barely caught.  
“Uh”, Nightmare got surprised.  
“What's for the servants today anyway?”, Cross asked.  
“Nothing until the party is over or anything that didn't make it to the buffet and is still lying in the kitchen”, Nightmare answered truthfully.  
“Want anything to that bread?”  
“I don't mean to make a mess”, Nightmare said. “And I am actually not allowed to eat here to begin with.”  
“Well, you're eating that”, Cross told him.  
They managed to have dinner without interruptions. Generally, the people coming their way got less, most of the visitors were terribly drunk by now and dancing in the middle of the hall. Nobody really cared about the newly-wed princes, some couldn't even remember why they were here in the first place.

As the evening went on, Cross managed to convince Nightmare to bring them a bottle of wine. The good, expensive one they kept in the castles wine cellars that was brought out today for the special occasion only. And then he emptied it in mere minutes. Needless to say that he was drunk afterwards.  
“And then, that one time we had a party for one of my birthdays and this guy just fell straight into the punch and knocked over the wine next to it and the whole area was flooded. And it looked like blood!”, Cross couldn't stop laughing while telling these stupid stories from his past.  
“We will have to deal with _this_ for the rest of the evening, right?”, Dream sighed.  
“I'm once again sorry, my prince”, Nightmare apologized again. “I had no idea he would drink it all in one go.”  
“Yeah, I didn't expect that either”, Dream nodded. “Well, I saw the first few people leave earlier, so maybe it won't be that long anymore.”  
“Heey, are you listening?”, Cross whined.  
“We are, we are”, Dream told him. Then put his head down on the table. “I need some sleep.”  
“Niight, dance with me?”, Cross asked.  
“Y-you meant to ask Dream.. I mean the prince! You meant to ask the prince, right?”, Nightmare noticed himself getting tired and slipping up more easily. This wasn't good.  
“Night...”, Dream had noticed it too.  
“I'm fine”, Nightmare lied.  
“I want to dance”, Cross behaved like a child when he was drunk.  
Dream stood up and held his hand out to a perplexed Cross. “I will drag this idiot across the dance floor for a little, since he clearly wants to enjoy himself”, Dream said. “Just... make sure there's something non-alcoholic for him once we are back? Preferably water...”  
Nightmare nodded and Dream pulled Cross out of the chair to walk towards the centre of the main hall.  
Fitting the late hour, the songs that were played were rather slow, the kind where you stay close together. Dream and Cross may not have been lovers, but there was nothing against a friendly dance every now and then.  
Despite being horribly drunk, Cross was still a pretty good dancer.  
“You know”, Cross started talking again, as soon as he and Dream embraced each other and slowly swayed to the music. “I really love him so much, it hurts. It hurts to see him like - have you ever seen him undressed?”  
For a moment Dream wasn't sure what Cross meant, then it dawned on him. “The scars? Yeah, I know the origin story of many of them. Most of the time, there was nothing I could do to stop it from happening... all I could do was heal him afterwards.”  
“Badly healed... some of them, at least.”  
“Yeah, he would often hide and try to treat it on his own... his healing magic is weak, so he was left with these.... nasty marks. I'm just glad he found someone, who can show him the good sides of life.”  
A long pause, Cross probably needed to sort his thoughts in the mess the alcohol got him in.  
“I want to see him smile more often...”, Cross' head got heavy, so he placed it on Dream's shoulder.  
“I'm sure you will. You make him happy, trust me. He is just bad at showing it.”  
After that followed a small pause and Dream recalled the events of the evening.  
“I should actually thank you”, he started, “for getting rid of the drunk that wanted to get Night to follow him outside.”  
“Huh?”, Cross seemed a little perplexed.  
“I did my best to keep him safe from people wanting to rape him at our castle ever since I can remember. I don't want his first experience to go like that.”  
“So, he really is a virgin?”, Cross asked.  
“I can't believe that's your answer”, Dream laughed slightly. “You _are_ drunk, no doubt about it.”  
“Waaaait...”, Cross seemed to suddenly remember something, but he moved his head up too fast and suddenly started tumbling backwards. Dream caught him in time.  
“Woah, not so fast Cross. You did a number on yourself, emptying the whole bottle like that.”  
“Yeah, no, what, doesn't matter”, he seemed to have forgotten what he wanted to say, then suddenly remembered. “I mean, if you are here... where is he? And who is there to make sure he is safe?”  
“Want us to go back?”  
“I want to see Nightyy”, Cross whined.  
_You really are a handful, when you're drunk,_ Dream thought.  
“Alright, Cross”, Dream sighed. “We're going back.”  
They had been dancing for a while. Nightmare should be back by now. And Cross could drink something.  
As they got back Nightmare was already waiting, two glasses of water and some snacks on the table.  
“Niiight”, Cross stumbled towards the servant as soon as he saw him.  
Cross somehow managed to fall over his own feet and Nightmare had trouble catching him using only one arm.  
“Prince, please”, Nightmare tried to somehow get rid of Cross before anyone saw them, but the prince just wanted a hug. “Just sit down and drink some water.”  
Dream had to tear Cross away from Nightmare.  
“Cross, not here”, he whispered.  
“Why can't I hug him?”, Cross whined while sitting down.  
Dream actually facepalmed.  
“Cross, I thought we talked about this”, Dream whispered, “you two can't show affection while we're anywhere we can be seen. Now have some snacks and water and sober up, please.”  
Cross reluctantly emptied the glass of water and stuffed his mouth with snacks. Nightmare made sure his glass stayed full. Nobody wanted Cross to have a hangover the next morning.  
Cross was slowly starting to fall asleep on the table as his father approached them.  
Nightmare bowed in greeting.  
“It seems you are enjoying yourself”, the king mused.  
“Oh, father”, Cross was talking really slow. “Yeah, we are having fun.” He could barely hold his head up.  
“I wanted to tell you that I will shortly see off the rest of our guests and you may go to your rooms now. The ball is officially over.” Then the king turned to Dream. “Your father went to his room earlier already, he will be leaving in the early morning tomorrow. You three are allowed to sleep a little longer and even skip breakfast if you want.”  
That surprised Nightmare. “Your majesty, are you sure you meant to address all three of us? Shouldn't I start my official duty tomorrow?”  
“We already have enough servants in our castle”, the king stated, “so I decided that your work, aiding prince Dream in every way possible is perfectly enough. I am certain, that already takes most of your capacity as it is.”  
“My sincerest thanks, sir”, Nightmare bowed again. He was not expecting any of this.  
“Though, I have one request to make”, the king spoke again.  
“Of course, you can ask anything”, Nightmare answered.  
“Would you help my son find the way to his room? I am most certain he won't make it on his own”, the king smiled.  
“Of course”, Nightmare could barely stop himself from smiling, “Consider it done, your majesty.”  
The king went to the remaining guests while Nightmare tried his best to convince Cross to go to his room now.  
Eventually, Cross was leaning on Nightmare's good shoulder and the three made their way to the second floor hallway.  
As soon as they arrived in the hallway Dream told Nightmare: “Make sure Cross gets to his room, I can manage the way to mine on my own.”  
“Alright”, Nightmare agreed. “I will check on you once I'm done with Cross, though.”  
As soon as they were in Cross' room Nightmare sat the prince down on the sofa and turned the light on.  
“Do you think you can get ready for bed on your own, prince?”, Nightmare asked.  
“Yeah”, Cross said.  
Nightmare watched him fumble with his outfit for a little before deciding to help him.  
“Here, let me help you.”  
“Night”, Cross mumbled while Nightmare did his best to get Cross out of his wedding outfit.  
“Hmm?”  
“I love you, you know?”  
“Of course I know that”, Nightmare said softly.  
“Do you love me too?”  
“I do”, Nightmare hugged Cross as he finally got him out of the coat. “Never doubt that.”  
Cross took Nightmare's face in both his hands and kissed him. Cross' hands travelled down, caressing Nightmare's back, but they didn't stay there for long, travelling further down until...  
Nightmare pushed away immediately, almost stumbling over the table behind him, tears in his eyes.  
“W-we can't.. I'm not... you.. you are obviously drunk, Cross.”  
Nightmare stumbled away from Cross and towards the prince's bed to fetch his nightgown.  
Cross sobered up faster than possible at the realisation of what he had done.  
“Oh my god, Night, I'm so sorry”, he rambled, “I didn't mean to... shit, I don't know what came over me!”  
Nightmare held his nightgown in front of him.  
“It's okay, I'll forgive you. Just go to sleep and be sober tomorrow.”  
Cross took the nightgown from Nightmare, then stood up... and nearly fell over again.  
“Night, please.. I.. I didn't mean to...”  
Nightmare walked backwards, aiming for the door. He wouldn't let these tears fall!  
“I told you, it's okay Cross. Just go to sleep now. I believe you can get dressed on your own now?”  
“I... yes, you are probably right”, Cross walked towards his bed and sat down. “You can leave now.”  
Nightmare nodded and left, closing the door behind him.  
_I'm sorry._

Nightmare walked to his own room, tears finally falling from his eyes. As soon as he closed his own door behind himself he sat down on his bed, burring his head in his hands.  
He needed to calm down.  
He loved Cross, he really did. And he knew Cross loved him too. That was just the alcohol acting. Cross would never do anything against Nightmare's will. He didn't push any further after Nightmare told him he shouldn't...  
Nightmare was too deep in his thoughts to hear the knock on the door. He was only pulled back into reality as Dream, in his nightgown, peaked trough the slightly opened door that connected the brothers rooms.  
“Are you alright? You didn't come to check on me again and I got worried... Night?”  
As Dream saw Nightmare on his bed he entered the room completely.  
“Night is everything alright? What happened?”  
“It's okay”, Night whispered. “I'm okay. It wasn't his fault. He didn't mean to... no, not his fault.”  
“Night, you are shaking! Mind telling me what happened? Maybe I shouldn't have left you with a drunken Cross after all.”  
Dream slowly approached Nightmare and sat down next to him.  
“No, it's not... not his fault...”  
“So, I get it, you won't tell me what actually happened?”, Dream asked softly, slowly raising his hand to caress Nightmare's back.  
“He didn't even... do anything wrong. I'm just... not ready for... _this._ ”  
“Oh...”, it dawned on Dream what might have happened. “Oh... I see.”  
Dream offered a hug and Nightmare crawled up to him.  
“So he did something... you didn't like.”  
Nightmare nodded.  
“Did you... tell him to stop?”  
“I... well, kind of.”  
“Hmm, alright. And, did he stop?”  
“He did”, Nightmare's voice broke.  
“Alright. Cross is a kind person. He wouldn't hurt you on purpose. If there are things you don't want, he will keep himself from doing them. But he needs to know your boundaries to be able to accept them”, Dream told him, soft and slowly. “It's okay if you don't want to talk about it with him right now. Just remember that you will eventually have to.”  
“I know... I just... not now”, Nightmare mumbled into Dream's nightgown.  
“No one will push you. And no one will hate you for not wanting.. certain things. After everything I had to witness happening to you... I'm surprised you even let him into your life.”  
“He just... he was just there all of a sudden.”  
“Yeah, he was”, Dream laughed slightly.  
They sat like that for a while, cuddled together in blissful silence.  
Then Dream spoke up again: “Are you better now?”  
Nightmare nodded.  
“Good, because we should both get to sleep now. It's getting late.”  
They both let go of each other and Dream stood up from the bed.  
“Oh and don't wake me before ten tomorrow”, Dream smiled as he went back to his own room.  
Nightmare changed into his own nightgown and finally went to sleep as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Note from my beta: Drunk Cross was exactly what this fanfiction needed!  
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter?  
> Let me know in the comments!  
> Tell me you were here!


	11. Chapter 10: Making Amends

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is here!

By the time Nightmare entered Dreams room the next morning the prince was already fully dressed and sat at his spot on the windowsill.  
“You could have woken me”, Nightmare told him.  
“I know, but I wanted to let you sleep”, Dream countered. Then added: “You know, I can't believe he just left like that. He never even told me when he would be leaving. And I am his son!”  
“Seems he was in a hurry to get away from here”, Nightmare said. “He never really liked the northern realm. The whole peace thing just happened because he was afraid of a war. He always saw this kingdom as a threat more than anything else. I wonder if the king knows...”  
“He does”, Dream answered while looking out of the window. “He just never cared as far as I know. To him, this whole thing was more a convenience. Our kingdom was far weaker than the north and he knew it, still he asked for the one thing that would definitely mean the end of the southern realm's independence as a gift to seal the peace treaty. The only prince of our realm, me. Without a prince in the kingdom it will be bound to the southern realm once my father dies. I can't help but wonder why he agreed to it.”  
“Maybe... it was to hide me?”, Nightmare thought out loud. “Even if the king found out I am your brother he would probably hide it. Because revealing the truth would mean giving back a prince to the south.”  
“Why did he think you that big a threat I wonder?”  
“I don't know.”  
“Do you think you should reconcile with Cross before lunch?”, Dream asked innocently.  
Before Nightmare could answer there was a knock on Dreams door.  
“Who is it?”, Dream asked.  
“Cross”, came a voice from the other side. “I... can I come in?”  
“Sure thing!”, Dream answered.  
Cross opened the door and it was obvious from the look on his face that, as soon as he opened it, he wanted to immediately walk out again. But he entered anyway.  
“Hello Dream, hello N-nightmare”, he greeted the two.  
“Well, hello Cross. What a coincidence to see you here”, Dream chirped.  
Nightmare suddenly found a big interest in his shoes, as he kept looking down even after he bowed to the prince. “Hello prince Cross.”  
“Nightmare, I... wanted to thoroughly apologize once I sobered up”, Cross started his 'confession'. “I didn't mean to do these... things. I wouldn't have if I wasn't drunk...”  
“From _one_ bottle of wine, might I remind you!”, Dream let them know that he was still in the same room as well. And he found the whole situation rather amusing. “You really have a low tolerance, Cross.”  
“Might I remind you I emptied a whole _bottle_ faster than you empty a glass of water?”, Cross scoffed at Dream.  
“I am really glad you two are having fun with this discussion”, Nightmare suddenly spoke and everyone's attention was on him in seconds. The servant looked really small all of a sudden, arms around his chest in insecurity and the way he still refused to look up. “But as I told you already, Cross”, Nightmare continued, “I forgive you. It wasn't your fault and, had it been anyone but me it might have went completely different. If anything, it was my mistake for not telling you about my own fears and insecurities sooner.”  
“Don't put the blame on yourself!”, Cross told him. “From all the things I saw, all the things you told me... I should have guessed that something like that would set you off. If I still had a clear mind yesterday, I might have even remembered.”  
“Well, it's not your fault for being unable to read into me in the state you were in...”, Nightmare told him. “One day, I want to tell you about my boundaries and maybe even try to let you get beyond them. Because I want to have faith in... what we have”, Nightmare said and looked up, tears in his eyes.  
Cross didn't know how to answer anymore, so Dream decided to help them and pushed Cross towards Nightmare.  
“This is the moment where you are supposed to kiss, alright?”, he told them. “At least hug each other!”  
And they did. Reluctant at first, but they hugged. And Nightmare quickly sank into Cross arms again, tears falling from his eyes. Though, they were happy tears, for he knew he was loved.

They went down to the dining hall at the normal time for lunch. Nightmare bowed in greetings to the king, then helped Dream sit down next to Cross. It was almost alien, seeing no one on the opposite chair.  
“You know Dream”, the king started talking after everyone sat down, “it is common in our kingdom to have a picture painted of the newly wed pair. So I would like you two to dress in your wedding outfits once more after lunch. The artist I hired for the painting should arrive around the time you are done. That should not interfere with your schedule, right?”  
Well, Dream was planning to visit Ink today, but there was no refusing a king now, was there? And there was always tomorrow. Ink was waiting, he could wait a day longer. Though, Dream didn't know if he could.  
“Of course not, we wanted today to be a silent day anyway. Standing still for a painting should be no problem”, he answered.  
“Seems like you didn't expect a no anyway, if you already arranged the artist to be over after lunch today”, Cross said. “Not that I really care, it means less preparation for me.”  
“Very well, then that's settled”, the king smiled and all three of them continued their lunch in silence.  
After lunch Nightmare lead Dream to his room and helped him get changed.  
“I will see to whether or not the artist has arrived yet”, Nightmare told Dream once he was fully dressed. “Cross should know which room you have to go to, so you can walk there with him. I will hopefully arrive soon after you, together with that artist.”  
“Hmm, alright”, Dream said and Nightmare excused himself out of the room and went to the entrance hall of the castle.

There he was, standing in the entrance hall, looking lost.  
Judging by the colourstains on his clothing and the number of art supplies he carried, he was obviously the artist that Nightmare was looking for.  
“Welcome to the castle”, Nightmare greeted him as he walked down the remaining stairs. “If I'm guessing correctly, you are the artist our king hired to draw the princes today.”  
“Hmm, yes I am-”, the artist turned to face Nightmare. “Oh my god, Night is that you?”  
“Pardon me?”, Nightmare got a little confused.  
“Nightmare, right?”, the artist asked again.  
“Well, yes that is my name”, Nightmare answered. “But who are you?” He had never seen this person before, so how did he know...  
“And here I thought I had a bad memory”, the artist laughed. “But to forget me? After all we did these past few weeks? It's Ink! You remember? From the art store in the city? Doughnuts and apple juice? The city, the market, the park, hehe?”  
Ink? _”...and I could spend time with Ink.”_ Right, Dream said something like that. Then, the person standing in front of him now... was Dream's boyfriend? And he thought the person that visited him was Nightmare. Well, Dream had some explaining to do.  
“Ink? Right, I remember”, Nightmare said in his best impression of his brother.  
“I knew you wouldn't forget me!”, Ink chimed happily. “But I had no idea you were working as a servant in the castle! That's really cool! But then I don't get why-”  
“We can talk about all of this later”, Nightmare interrupted him. “Right now you have an appointment. I am sure the princes are already waiting. Let's not keep them at it too long.”  
And with that Nightmare dragged Ink through the castles hallways and to the room the princes were waiting in.  
Dream was currently talking to Cross so he didn't see who the artist was that Nightmare dragged into the room. Nightmare was for once grateful about that.  
“You can set up your things already. I have to talk to the princes for a moment”, Nightmare told Ink. “Oh and I.. uh.. hope the lighting is to your liking? The king picked this room specific.”  
“Oh, yeah, the light in here is perfect! Take your time talking, I have some things to prepare.”  
Nightmare walked over to the princes.  
“Dream”, he whispered. “I need to talk to you.”  
Dream turned around and upon seeing the artist he had to cover his mouth with a gloved hand. Then he looked back at Nightmare. Cross had also turned around.  
“It's him”, Dream whispered, tears forming in his eyes. “That's Ink! T-the artist, that I-I...”  
Cross looked confused.  
“It's his boyfriend, alright”, Nightmare stated nonchalantly. “You gave him my name? I already had a great time greeting him.”  
“I... yeah, sorry. I didn't want to tell him my name, since having the prince's name would be a little suspicious and your name was the first one that came to mind. Sorry”, Dream looked down in an effort to look anywhere but at Ink.  
“Well, he is not going to notice who you really are in your current dress up”, Cross stated. “But...”  
“We better clear this up here and now or he is going to be really mad, I'm sure”, Nightmare said. “I already told him that we will talk once the whole painting thing is over. You two just tag along.”  
“The gardens, then?”, Cross suggested.  
“I thought so too”, Nightmare agreed.  
“I am so scared”, Dream, who suddenly got really quiet, admitted.  
“It's going to be fine”, Nightmare reassured him. “He seems like a nice person, he will understand. And now, you two should get into position. I think he is ready.”  
Just as Nightmare said that Ink waved at them.  
“I am done setting everything up! Now if the two princes would get into position, we have to use the time in which the light is good.”  
The two princes got into the type of position that was common for paintings like this and Ink started his work. Nightmare took his place on a wall in the room, just in case anyone needed something.

Nobody really knew how long they had been standing there as the king entered the room.  
“How is everything going?”, he asked.  
Ink seemed too absorbed in his work to even realise someone entered the room.  
“Oh, father”, Cross spoke.  
“Don't move!”, Ink told him. “I need to capture the light just right in your current position, so no moving!”  
Cross sighed. “Night, could you..?”  
Nightmare nodded.  
“Your majesty, I know I am in no position to tell you this, but it would be better to let the artist do his work without interruptions”, he explained. “There was something prince Cross wanted to tell you, but since he is currently occupied I shall do so in his place. Now, if I may ask you to follow me out of this room”, Nightmare gestured to the door and opened it as the king nodded.  
They went a little away from the room and stopped somewhere in the hallway.  
Nightmare bowed firmly. “I want to once again apologize for my rude behaviour”, he started.  
“Nightmare”, the king spoke calmly, “I know where you are coming from but no one here will take your kind words as rude behaviour in any way. I fully understand that my presence could easily distract the artist and that is in no way something we want. Now, what was the thing that you are supposed to tell me.  
“You have my deepest gratitude for everything you have done for me, your Majesty”, Nightmare said. “Prince Cross told me and my prince that after the painting is done he would like to ask the artist to become this courts official painter. I know that he should have talked to you first about this matter, but I believe we both know that the prince can be a little stubborn in his decisions. I was however supposed to ask for his permission to talk with the artist together with my prince after the sitting.  
As this may delay their appearance at dinner for a while.”  
“I know he always wanted a painter as part of our court and from what I saw, this one is really good. Otherwise I wouldn't have hired him for today. Tell my son that he has my permission. No one will be mad at them for showing up late to dinner either. You have my word on that.”  
“Thanks a million, sir”, Nightmare bowed again. “Now, if you would excuse me..?”  
“You can go back now, Nightmare”, the king said and already turned to walk the opposite direction.  
Nightmare returned to the others.  
“So?”, was all Cross gave as a question, as not to disturb Ink in his work.  
“He's okay with it”, came Nightmare's just as vague answer.

Ink was doing the last few paint brushes.  
“Alright”, he said. “The light is dimming, but that is no problem at all because I just finished! You can move again! And look at the painting if you want!”  
The two princes got out of their position and stretched a little, popping their bones back into place. Then they walked over to Ink to look at the picture.  
“Wow”, Cross was amazed. “It looks like we are alive in the painting! I mean, it doesn't even look like a painting, it looks like someone caught a moment on canvas!”  
“Well, looks like your father made the right choice with the artist”, Dream said.  
“Right”, Cross turned to Ink. “Ink was it?” The artist nodded. “We would like to talk to you in the castles garden, we have an offer to make.”  
“Right now?”, Ink asked a little surprised.  
“Do you have other plans already?”, Cross asked.  
Ink looked at Nightmare for a moment, then answered: “No, I don't. Also, an offer from the prince himself is something I should at least listen to, right?”  
“Good, then follow me”, Cross said and walked towards the door.  
All four of them walked to the garden.

Ink sat down on a bench opposite of the princes, Nightmare sat down next to Cross.  
Dream was anxiously fiddling with his tunic.  
“I... don't even know where to start”, Dream said. “I imagined this all to be... different.”  
All he got from Ink was a confused look.  
“As you probably know, I am prince Dream”, he tried again. “But you also know me as Nightmare.”  
“Nightmare?”, Ink asked confused. “But he is Nightmare”, Ink pointed to Nightmare, “Your servant.”  
“Nightmare is indeed my servant”, Dream admitted. “But he is also my twin brother, so we look nearly identical. I borrowed clothes from him and went to the city, where I introduced myself to you using his name.”  
Ink was silent for a moment, having to take in everything he was just told.  
“T-then... you are married to the prince”, Ink was talking more to himself, still figuring out, what was going on. “But you are also _my_ Nighty. The one I met in my art store. And the prince... Dream... Then, was all we had... a ruse? Was it just for your own amusement? Do you think it's funny, walking around the city, making someone fall hopelessly in love with you, just to marry someone else?”, tears were streaming down Ink's face and he was shaking where he was sitting. “Did you fuck me for your own amusement? Did I really never mean anything to you?”, Ink nearly screamed the last bit, but it was drowned by his own sobs, hands over his head in a feeble attempt to control the shaking.  
“No, you got it all wrong, Ink”, Dream tried to explain, holding back his own tears. “My marriage with Cross was arranged, neither of us loves the other. I wanted to get away from the castle and met you. I fell in love with _you_ , Ink! I love you more than anything else! You were never supposed to know I was the prince. I wanted to be normal with you.”  
“How am I supposed to believe that was the only lie you ever told me?”, Ink sobbed.  
“If it helps you”, Cross said, “I can reassure you, Dream and I only married because it was a requirement for the peace treaty. You have my word that we never loved each other.”  
“My brother is not a liar”, Nightmare told him. “He gave you a wrong name and wrong information about his heritage, because he wanted to get away from it. He never liked being a prince.”  
Dream stood up and went over to Ink, then kneeled in front of him.  
“Is there any way I can prove to you, that I meant it, every time I told you I love you?”, he asked.  
“What was... the offer you wanted to make?”, Ink asked silently.  
“I wanted to hire you to our court as a painter”, Cross said. “We decided to make this arrangement because Dream wanted to see you more often.”  
“Then wouldn't he still need to tell me he was the prince?”  
“I suppose I would still have to tell you the truth”, Dream admitted. “But we decided that I would switch places with Nightmare, so he would be the prince and I could spend more time with you.”  
“If you two are brothers, why isn't he a prince to begin with?”, Ink wondered.  
“That's a long story”, Nightmare said. “It's of no interest to you anyway. All you need to know is that this gives us the opportunity to switch places.”  
“And prince Cross is okay with having a servant switch with the prince?”  
“Well, these two are kind of...”, Dream wasn't sure how to explain it.  
But the two holding hands was enough of an explanation for Ink.  
“Just as much a strange couple as we are, it seems”, he concluded.  
“Do you mean..?”, Dream wasn't sure he heard right.  
“Yes, I accept the offer to work on your court and... I will try to believe in you again. Because I think I love Dream, even though I fell in love with Nightmare”, Ink smiled.  
Dream stood up from the ground and hugged Ink.  
“Thank you!”, he whispered. “Thank you for still believing in me. In us. This means the world to me.”  
Ink hugged him back.  
Nightmare stood up.  
“Nightmare?”, Ink said.  
“I trust you to take good care of my brother”, he said, then extended a hand to Cross. “We should get back to the castle though. We are already late for dinner.”  
Cross took Nightmare's hand.  
“We should have a room ready for you by tomorrow”, he stated. “How long will you take to get your things here?”  
“I... have a lot of things”, Ink said.  
“Let's say I send a servant with a carriage by tomorrow morning”, Cross said, “Will that be enough room to store your belongings?”  
“Well, yes”, Ink was a little surprised. Then remembered that for the prince, arranging a carriage for Ink probably wasn't a year worth of work. “I should probably go home and start packing then.”  
Dream let go of Ink and stood up as well.  
“Alright, then this is goodbye for today”, he said. “Maybe, if Nightmare's wounds are looking better, we could already switch tomorrow?”  
“We should think about these kind of arrangements later”, Nightmare told him. “You two go to lunch before it gets any later, I will lead Ink out of the castle.”

“So”, Ink stuck up a conversation as he and Nightmare walked through the castle halls. “You are the actual Nightmare. That's a little awkward. Sorry about pestering you the first time we met.”  
“Don't worry about it”, Nightmare told him. “You couldn't possibly tell the difference. You should be more worried about the fact that you admitted you did it with my brother.”  
Ink blushed. “Hehehe, sorry. But would you believe me if I told you he initiated it? I wouldn't jump someone's bones on our third meeting.”  
“Well, my brother can be pretty rash in his decisions. So, I might have to believe you. I can't even blame you, though. He was really happy every time he came back from your meetings. And that first time he told us he had a boyfriend. So you better keep him that happy. I'm not his brother for no reason.”  
“Hint taken”, Ink laughed. “I do love him. It's just... a bit much to take in, a little too fast for my liking.”  
Nightmare sighed. “I guess I can understand that. Well, we're at the castles main gates, you should remember your way from here on.”  
“I think I can manage”, Ink agreed and walked out of the castle. 

Nightmare went back to the dining hall, where the princes were just finishing their dinner.  
“Oh, Night”, Dream said upon seeing Nightmare enter the hall. “Just in time. We were about to finish!”  
“Very well then, shall I lead you back to your room?”  
Dream nodded and all three of them went back. They parted with Cross as he went to his own room.  
Dream sat down on his bed.  
“That went nothing like I wanted it to”, he admitted.  
“Ink?”, Nightmare asked, even though he already knew the answer.  
“Do you think he still trusts me? After all the lies I told him...”  
“You went and told him the truth”, Nightmare reassured his brother. “And he agreed to the offer Cross made him. I don't think he'd be willing to life in the same castle as you if he no longer trusts you. If he didn't love you, none of the things that you told him today would have affected him at all.”  
“You always know the right things to say”, Dream laughed. ”Thank you Nightmare.”  
Dream let himself fall back down on his bed.  
“You can go now”, he said. “Read something or spend time with Cross.”  
Nightmare nodded with a smile and went to his room. Maybe he would check on Cross later.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments make me happy.  
> So do kudos.  
> It makes me happy if people enjoy my shitty writing.  
> Tell me you were here.


	12. Chapter 11: Overthinking

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nightmare is just as good at overthinking as I am.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I already mentioned this in a comment on the last chapter, but I feel like I should write it here for everyone again.  
> My updates will probably be a little... slower from here on, since I had a lot of problems with my insomnia lately.  
> Now that I have a beta I feel more comfortable about the quality of the upload, but at the same time my Insomnia tends to leave for one day only to come back the next which throws me off my plans completely.  
> Also, university is slowly getting back to... being a noticeable thing in my life...  
> But I should manage once a week updates!

After waking up Nightmare went trough his normal morning routine again and then walked in to Dream's room to find the prince sound asleep on his bed.  
He smiled as he whispered: “Dream, time to wake up.”  
The prince turned towards Nightmare and slowly opened his eyes.  
“Oh Night”, he sat up and rubbed at his eyes. “You're fully dressed already, don't you want to switch with me today?”  
“Can... can we do that... after breakfast? I still am really unsure about the whole... me as the prince situation”, Nightmare admitted.  
“Hmmm, alright”, Dream said and got out of bed. “Then I better get dressed. You can go over to Cross and have him check on your wounds so we know whether or not we are actually able to switch places today.”  
“You don't need any-”  
“No, Night. I can dress myself on my own, perfectly fine”, Dream cut him off. “Now go! We both know you want to see him.”  
“Alright, thank you”, Nightmare said and left.

Nightmare knocked on the door.  
“Come in”, he heard Cross' voice shortly after.  
Nightmare entered. Cross was already fully dressed and sat on his sofa, a book in his hands. He looked up as Nightmare closed the door.  
“Dream send me, so you could-”  
“Check on your wounds, I believe?”, Cross finished before Nightmare could.  
“Yes, that's what he said”, Nightmare said.  
“Very well then, come here”, Cross patted the place next to him and put the book down.  
Nightmare nodded as he walked over and sat down.  
As soon as Nightmare sat down next to him Cross gave him a swift kiss and then went to take of the plasters.  
“Looks pretty good already, just let me...”, Cross said, seemingly deep in thought or concentration. Before Nightmare could even ask what Cross meant his hands were on his face and they were both engulfed in a dark green glow. Nightmare sighed and leaned into the touch. Cross' healing magic felt nice to him.  
“How come your healing magic feels so good?”, Nightmare didn't even realize he said something.  
“I... don't know? I'm not even that good at healing magic.”  
“Huh?”, Nightmare was a little surprised as Cross answered. “Well, it feels nice to me. It's so different from that of my brother.”  
“Glad you're enjoying this”, Cross said, “but I think I am done here!” He looked at Nightmare's face for a moment, then said: “As good as new! No scars or anything indicating you had wounds there!”  
“Dream will be happy to here the news”, Nightmare said as he stood up. “Well, time to get him and go to breakfast.”  
“Already?”, Cross pouted. “I was just enjoying our time together.”  
“Might I remind you that you are running on a tight schedule, prince”, Nightmare mused. “If you don't go down for breakfast right now you might have to scavenge the kitchen for food on your own later.”  
“Ugh, you're no fun Night”, Cross sighed and got up from his position on the sofa.  
“I get that a lot”, Nightmare laughed as he opened the door.  
“I wonder why?”, Cross mused as the two of them walked to Dream's room.  
“Oh, you'd be surprised!”  
Just before they got there Dream opened the door to his room and stepped out.  
“Oh, there you are”, he said. “I was just about to come over to see what was taking you so long.”  
“Well, the prince was doing his best to restore my face”, Nightmare joked.  
“That's not exactly what happened”, Cross laughed.  
“I don't exactly need to know what happened”, Dream said, “but that means that it's just in time for Ink's arrival!”  
“Yeah, seems like it”, Cross agreed. “But first, let's get some breakfast.”

There was nothing special about breakfast save for the fact that Dream couldn't await it being over.  
As soon as it was he basically ran to his room, dragging Cross and Nightmare along.  
“Okay, can we change clothes now?”, he asked excited. “I really want to wear your clothes when I greet Ink. Oh, are you okay with changing while Cross is here? We could also go over to your room really quick?”  
“I... am okay with this, don't worry. Cross saw me without my tunic already. There is nothing I need to hide now”, Nightmare said.  
“Well, great”, Dream said while already taking off his clothes.  
Nightmare did the same and they both just put the clothes down on the bed for the other to take. Cross was trying not to look at them but couldn't take his eyes off Nightmare's body. Littered with scars and that bandage still wrapped around his arm...  
But the whole scene went by rather fast, both of the brothers already skilled with the makeup of the others outfit. One from wearing a similar thing a few times before, the other from constantly dressing up his brother in said outfit.  
Lastly, Dream took of his tiara and the ring and handed them to Nightmare. Nightmare hesitated a moment, just looking at the small golden circlet and the silver band in his hands. Cross took the tiara out of his hands and placed it on Nightmare's head. Then he slid the ring onto Nightmare's finger.  
“Don't overthink it”, he whispered and kissed his boyfriend. “You look great. If I didn't know how to tell you two apart I would probably not be able to.”  
“Now I just need to act like... Dream”, Nightmare said silently.  
“I believe in you, Nighty”, Dream told him. “Oh, wait. Maybe I should act like Night now? So.. I believe you can do it, my prince.”  
“Heh.. hehe...”, Nightmare laughed sadly. “Please don't do that. I don't think I'll ever be able to handle you calling me prince, Dream.”  
“Oh, okay. Then I won't, sorry”, Dream walked towards the door. “Well, let's see if Ink is here already!”  
“Yeah, let's go down”, Cross agreed.  
Upon seeing Nightmare still struggling to accept his new role Cross took his hand in his own and gave it a light squeeze. At that Nightmare looked at Cross for a moment, then gave him a hesitant smile and squeezed back. Then they both followed Dream who was already waiting impatiently at the door.  
As they arrived in the entrance hall they saw Ink entering, followed by two servants carrying boxes.  
“Good morning, Ink”, Nightmare greeted him.  
Shortly after Dream sprinted down the stairs. “Iiink!” But stopped himself before he jumped at Ink to hug him. “You are probably... still mad at me.”  
Ink looked lost.  
“Just try to identify them by their eyes”, Cross said with a smile. “Dream was just really eager to spend today with you, so he convinced Nightmare to switch clothing today. We will now go together so you can tell me whether you like your room or not and then you can spend some time with Dream, make up for yesterday or something.”  
Ink scribbled something down on his scarf, then looked up and said: “Alright then, let's go to my room. I... think the servants already brought my things there, by the looks of it?”  
“They did, as I instructed them to. Though you can unpack on your own once we looked at the room.”  
Ink nodded and all four of them walked to the room Cross chose for Ink. It was on the second floor hallway just like the princes' rooms were, just on the opposite end of it.  
Ink opened the door.  
“Wooow, that's big”, was his first reaction. “That's probably enough room to hang all the things I ever painted! And all these windows! The light is perfect! I love it!”  
“Then I trust I can leave you two alone?”, Cross asked.  
Ink and Dream looked at each other, then nodded.  
“Good, because I will spend some time with Night then”, Cross told them and then left with Nightmare.

“Where are we going Cross?”, Nightmare asked as he was dragged through the hallways.  
“Here”, Cross said as he stopped in front of a door leading to a balcony. He opened it and lead Nightmare out.  
“A balcony? Why?”  
“I thought you might enjoy the few. Also because it's quiet here.”  
“What is this all about?”, Nightmare asked.  
“Mind telling me what makes you so uncertain?”  
Nightmare took a step further on the balcony and leaned on the handrail as he laughed slightly.  
“That's what you dragged me here for?”, Nightmare looked out at the forest surrounding the castle instead of looking at Cross. “It's just... this feels so wrong”, he gestured to his outfit. “I was never made to be a prince. I can't act like Dream, that's not who I am. What will we do if your father notices it's not him during lunch today? I wouldn't mind if he kicked me out, but what if it somehow affects Dream or the peace of the kingdom? I can't do this..”  
Cross put his hand on Nightmare's shoulder.  
“You're worried about lunch today? That's what you got yourself all worked up for?”  
“It's not... that easy”, Nightmare grabbed the handrail tighter.  
“He won't notice a thing. I doubt he even cares”, Cross told him.  
“He does”, Nightmare said. “He cares about you. About your happiness. He also had his eyes on me ever since Dream and I arrived here and I always wondered why. Maybe he knows more than he shows. Maybe he decided it was better to keep it to himself?”  
“You are overthinking again, Nightmare”, Cross told him.  
Nightmare looked at Cross for a moment, obviously in deep thought. Then he took a deep breath.  
“I guess I am”, Nightmare sighed. “The garden or your room to read?”  
“Let's go to the garden”, Cross decided.

They went to Cross' room and he got both of them a book again, then they walked to the garden. This had become routine for them already, reading together. Only that they used to do it in the evening and last time they did it, Nightmare still wore his usual outfit.  
“It's still weird to see you in yellow”, Cross said as they both sat down on a bench.  
“It feels weird too”, Nightmare commented. “Doesn't compliment my eyes.”  
Cross laughed. “That's what you're worried about, Night?”  
“No, it's just that this is _Dream's outfit_.”  
“We could probably get you some outfits in black or white. No one will question it if you just start to wear this kingdoms colours”, Cross told him.  
“Maybe that isn't even a bad idea. It would make me less comparable to my brother if I am not wearing his exact outfit.”  
“They still have his measurements”, Cross thought out loud. “I'll just tell our servants to make a few outfits for you.”  
“I still can't believe we changed our roles, just like that. From one day to the other”, Nightmare said, looking at his hands. “We've had our places set for twenty years. It shouldn't be that easy.”  
“Hey”, Cross said as he hugged Nightmare, “we went here so you would stop overthinking.” He kissed him. “So please, just relax and read a good book, Night.”  
“Sorry”, Nightmare said, leaning into the hug. “Seems I just can't help myself today. I have been overthinking for a big part of my life and it never got me anywhere. Maybe it's good I now have you to tell me to stop.”  
“Are you good again?”, Cross asked.  
“Yeah, thank you”, Nightmare said and both of them opened their books to start reading.  
They sat together like that for a while, just reading in the company of the other, the wind rustling through their clothes. For some reason, just sitting like this made them feel safe and secure, dwelling in the presence of each other and in their minds they were closer than ever.  
“I like them, you know”, Nightmare said, out of the blue.  
“You what?”, Cross was confused.  
“Your taste in books is really good”, Nightmare smiled. “You haven't given me a single one I didn't enjoy yet.”  
“I never considered my taste in books good, but thank you for saying so”, Cross laughed.  
“Hmm”, Nightmare hummed and cuddled up to Cross, entwining their fingers. Being able to openly show their affection was nice, but still...  
“We should go back inside”, Nightmare said after a moment, “wouldn't want to miss out on lunch today.”  
“Alright”, Cross sighed as he got off the bench. “Let's bring the books back to my room and go to lunch then.”

Cross put the books down on the table and walked back to the door only to see Nightmare anxiously fumble with the ring on his left hand.  
“Night”, he sighed, “It will be okay, trust me.”  
“What if it won't?”  
“Night”, Cross sighed again and took Nightmare's hands in his. “It's just lunch, we barely see him. He won't notice a thing and we can go back to read together. Just stop being so nervous!”  
Nightmare didn't know how to answer that so he looked down at their hands and his eyes fell on the rings once again. Cross noticed it so brought Nightmare's left hand up to his mouth and kissed the ring.  
“This has always been yours”, he said softly. “Dream only took it in your stead.”  
“C-cross”, Nightmare blushed.  
“And now, let's go before we're really late for lunch”, Cross said and opened the door, still holding Nightmare's hand.  
After they arrived at the dining hall Cross pulled the chair back to help Nightmare sit down, just the way Nightmare always did for Dream.  
“I can sit down on my own, you know?”, Nightmare said, not annoyed but confused.  
“I know but I wanted to do this”, Cross laughed and kissed Nightmare.  
The king watched the whole thing without a word and only after they stopped talking he asked: “Dream, I see you didn't bring Nightmare with you today?”  
“Oh, yes he and that artist got along surprisingly well so I left the two to each other”, Nightmare answered in a way that would hopefully sound like Dream.  
“I see. Then I am right in assuming the artist has arrived without problems?”  
“The carriage made it without troubles”, Cross answered this time, “and he immediately loved the room we picked for him. Considering all the things he brought, though, he should still be busy unpacking. I think leaving Nightmare with him was a good idea.”  
The king just nodded, the conversation was over faster than it started and they all ate in relative silence.  
After lunch they went back to Cross' room and sat down on the sofa.  
“See, that wasn't so bad now, was it?”, Cross asked.  
“It went... better than expected”, Nightmare answered truthfully.  
“So... do you want to go back to the garden?”, Cross asked.  
“Hmmm...”, Nightmare seemed to consider the options... for a rather long time. His left thumb was playing with the ring again as he closed his eyes, took a deep breath and answered: “Let's stay here for the evening.”  
“Alright”, Cross agreed. “The wind would probably cool down soon anyway, making it uncomfortable without a blanket.”  
“Well, you could always bring a blanket”, Nightmare laughed, remembering that one fateful night.  
That made Cross smile. “Sure, if you wanted.”  
Nightmare had lightened up a lot after dinner went good for them and Cross enjoyed him like this.  
“Well, not today”, Nightmare said and grabbed the book he started reading earlier.  
“Whenever you want”, Cross said and gave Nightmare a quick kiss before he grabbed his own book.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments always make me happy.  
> No pressure though!


	13. Chapter 12: (NSFW!) Getting closer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The Crossmare smut no one asked for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The whole chapter is NSFW! Feel free to skip it, you won't miss a thing.  
> Why did I feel like writing this? Idk.  
> Both smut chapters in this fanfic are literally the first time I ever wrote smut.  
> What am I doing?

They had been to dinner a few hours ago, still no sign of Dream or Ink. The two were probably still doing whatever they were in Ink's new room. Not that it mattered to Nightmare or Cross. After dinner they went back to Cross' room to continue reading their books.  
Just that it didn't stay like that for long. Engulfed in their books, at first neither of the two really noticed they were starting to lean against each other, soon Nightmare's head was on Cross' shoulder.  
As Cross finally noticed it he places a small kiss on Nightmare's head. Nightmare looked up, focus drawn away from his book in seconds, then shifted slightly so he could kiss Cross back.  
Before they realized it, their books were forgotten, shut and placed back on the table and they were cuddled up to each other, kissing.  
Cross softly caressed Nightmare's face, Nightmare leaning into the touch and looking up at Cross.  
"I love your eyes", Cross said, his hand stopping right at one of Nightmare's eyes.  
"That's like the only thing about me you can like without also complimenting a part of my brother's body", Nightmare said a little sad.  
"But that's not why I like them. I like them because they are so different from his. Because they are what makes you you. They are what makes you the person I fell in love with", Cross explained.   
Nightmare put his hand over Cross', which still lingered on his face. "Thank you", he whispered.  
Cross leaned down and kissed Nightmare again. Nightmare's hands flew back to Cross' neck while Cross let his hand travel to Nightmare's back. He rubbed it up and down Nightmare's back until he finally stopped, letting it rest on Nightmare's lower back.  
Night stills for a moment, his mouth never leaving Cross'. After a moment he continues kissing his lover.  
"Night?", Cross breaks the kiss a little surprised that Nightmare didn't tell him to move his hand.  
"I want...", Nightmare swallows. "I want to let you help me break through my insecurities. I want to.. try at least. If you would..."   
"I understand. I won't go further than you are okay with. I promise", Cross reassured him.   
He picks Nightmare up and carries him over to the bed on which he lays him down.  
The first thing Cross did was remove both their tiaras, then proceeds to kneel over Nightmare, hands and legs on either side of the smaller one's body.  
Cross continued kissing Nightmare while moving his hands down to open the brooch which held the cape in place. It was still new to both that Nightmare now wore Dream's initial outfit. Cross opened Nightmare's tunic and broke their kiss for a moment to lift Nightmare up so he could get him out of the undershirt.  
After all clothing items were discarded somewhere on the floor Cross let Nightmare lay back down and took a moment to look at his undressed from. The look of it still made him sad, old scars of badly healed wounds, each telling a story of their own, and that bandage that was still wrapped around his arm.  
He let his hands ghost over Nightmare's ribs slowly, touching all the scars, making sure he remembered them.  
To Nightmare the way Cross touched him was so different from the way he did before, every time he used to look at his wounds. It was still just as gentle as before but it was also loving and caring, yet mixed with an almost tangible amount of want and yearning.   
Every now and then he would place the ghost of a kiss on one of the scars making Nightmare sigh or squirm in pleasant surprise.  
Cross silently wondered, whether Nightmare's legs were littered in scars just the same, but decided it was still to soon to undress him fully. Instead, he settled on something else.  
"Have you... ever formed a tongue with your magic?", he asked, looking at Nightmare.  
"Hmm? Well, it's somewhat necessary if one wants to taste the food you're eating...”, he answered innocently.  
Cross chuckled. “What if I told you there are other things you could do with it? Would you form a tongue for me?”  
“A-alright?”, Nightmare said a little unsure. Then he focused to let his magic form.  
“Can I see it?”, Cross asked.  
Nightmare opened his mouth so Cross could see the violet tongue Nightmare formed with his magic.  
_Stars, he's beautiful,_ Cross thought.  
“Alright, keep open”, Cross told him and leaned down. “Tell me to stop when you're uncomfortable.”  
Then he closed his own mouth over Nightmare's and pushed his own tongue into his mouth. Nightmare gasped a little but made no attempt at pushing Cross away. Cross let his tongue glide over Nightmare's, wanting to taste every bit of him. Nightmare caught on to the rhythm pretty quick and let his own tongue glide over Cross' every now and then. Cross entwined his fingers of one hand with those of Nightmare's, which lay on the pillow next to him, while he used the other to continue caressing Nightmare's ribs. Every now and then Nightmare moaned into the kiss, which was partly drowned by Cross' own hungry tongue.  
After a while they broke the kiss, both of them gasping for air.  
The heat was slowly getting to Cross, especially now, that he could see the cute violet blush left on Nightmare's face due to their previous actions. He decided it was time to get rid of his own cloak. Then he shrugged off his vest and got out of his pullover.  
After his clothes made their way to the floor he put his hand on the hem of Nightmare's pants and looked at him.  
“Can I..?”  
Nightmare was a little hesitant, but still answered: “Y-yeah.”  
Nightmare lifted his hips to make it easier for Cross to remove his pants, then lay down flat on the bed again as his pants joined the mess of clothing on the floor.  
Cross looked down at his now fully undressed boyfriend. Just as he thought, his legs also had scars, reminders of old wounds and broken bones. He moved his hands along Nightmare's legs, never quite touching the other's pelvis. Then, in one swift motion he moved his hands over the full length of Nightmare's body, only to let them rest on his face again. It earned him a deeper blush on Nightmare's face and the faintest glow of magic between Nightmare's legs.  
Nightmare's fingers twitched and he looked as though he wanted to say something so Cross waited for him, patiently.  
“C-can... can I.. touch you too?”, Nightmare asked innocently, not daring to look at Cross' face.  
Cross gave him a quick kiss, then took his hand and placed it on his ribs.  
“Of course you can, there's no need to ask permission, Night”, he rasped, his voice suddenly deeper and filled with want.  
Nightmare let both his hands wander over Cross' ribs, shimmering ivory without any cracks, so different from his own. Touching the other like this, without any layer of clothing between them was a whole new experience for Nightmare. And he enjoyed it more than he thought he could.  
Both of them were startled as Nightmare gasped and took both his hands back to cover his mouth.  
At first, Cross had no idea what happened, but it dawned on him as soon as Nightmare said: “W-what just happened? M-my magic is acting all... weird?”  
Cross looked down between them for a moment and yes, Nightmare's magic had settled between his legs by now, ready to form. Though, it didn't yet. Nightmare's body may know what to do, but Nightmare's mind was running blank.  
Cross took both of Nightmare's hands in his and kissed him.  
“It's alright, this is perfectly normal”, he reassured him. “Just let your body guide you, it knows what to do.”  
Nightmare still looked like he didn't quite understand, but Cross was ready to show him. So he let his hands travel back down to Nightmare's ribs while he kissed him again. Nightmare willingly opened his mouth and the two let their tongues dance to a rhythm only they knew. After a few moments Cross broke the kiss to let Nightmare get some air and let his tongue travel from Nightmare's mouth to his neck, to his ribs and along all those scars on them. He alternated between licking and kissing while his hands still played with Nightmare's body as well.  
All Nightmare could do was moan and cover his head with his own hands. It was too much, feeling all of this at once and all of a sudden his magic decided to form.  
“There we go”, Cross mumbled as he looked down again. “I told you your body knows what it's doing. Now let me make you feel even better.”  
Cross licked his fingers and guided them down to Nightmare's entrance. Slowly and carefully he let one finger sink in, relishing in the warmth around it and the soft moans coming from Nightmare. As soon as he was sure Nightmare was ready he entered a second finger. He wanted this experience to be as pleasant as possible for both of them and that required proper preparation, especially for Nightmare.  
After a while Cross decided he wanted to feel Nightmare with more than just his fingers so he moved down on the bed and placed his head between Nightmare's legs.  
“C-cross, what are you-?”, Nightmare started his question, already breathless from all the stimulation.  
“Just let me do this and enjoy it, okay?”, Cross told him, looking up. “And remember you can always tell me to stop if you get uncomfortable.”  
“Alright, fine”, Nightmare sighed.  
As soon as he got the okay from Nightmare Cross started to use his tongue to stretch Nightmare further. With every moan he got from Nightmare he could feel his own pants tighten around him, his magic having formed long ago, but he would ignore his own needs for now, for the sake of Nightmare.  
After a while Cross sat back up.  
“I think you should be ready now”, he said, slightly breathless. “But how do you feel? Do you want to go all the way? Remember that I can stop any time.”  
“I-”, Nightmare wanted to say something, but shut his mouth again and took some time to consider his answer. “You made me feel really good up to now. I feel save around you, so I think we can go a step further.”  
Cross nodded and finally got out of his pants. He felt great relieve as his magic was finally freed from the confines of tight fabric around it. His pants were quickly discarded to the rest of the clothes and Cross leaned back down to kiss Nightmare.  
“Are you really sure about this?”, he asked once again.  
“I am”, Nightmare told him and leaned up to meet Cross' mouth for another kiss. “Just do it.”  
Cross carefully guided his own erection towards Nightmare's entrance and pushed in slightly.  
“Are you feeling fine?”, he asked again after he had only the tip in.  
“I'm good, Cross”, Nightmare told him. “Keep going.”  
That was all Cross needed to slowly but surely push in completely. It took a while, Cross stopping every time he saw slight discomfort on Nightmare's face.  
“I'm in completely now”, he said. “How are you?”  
“G-give me a minute”, Nightmare said breathlessly.  
“Does it hurt? We can stop if you want”, Cross told him with worry in his voice.  
“It doesn't... doesn't hurt”, Nightmare answered. “Just... need to get used to this. It still feels a little weird.”  
And Cross waited, seconds that felt like hours as he was doing his best to hold back. Even though he felt _indescribably amazing_ at that very moment he wanted Nightmare to be able to feel the same.  
As soon as he got the okay from Nightmare he started moving. Slowly at first, but speeding up with every moan he earned from Nightmare.  
Nightmare was clawing the pillow beneath him for dear life as he was moaning in ecstasy, a deep blush on his face. Cross thought that he could easily watch him like this forever but decided to lean down and kiss him after a moment of consideration. Nightmare released the pillow from his death grip to instead cling to Cross, arms around his neck. It seemed as though Nightmare wanted to be as close to Cross as he could possibly get as he also wrapped his legs around him.  
“Hmm, Night”, Cross purred. “You got really clingy all of a sudden. I get it you're feeling good?”  
“F-feeling... hnnn... feeling great”, was all Nightmare could get out, voice already hoarse from all the sounds he made.  
“Nightmare, I love you”, Cross said sincerely.  
“Yes, I... I- ah-hnn, I love you too!”  
All Cross really wanted was to stay entangled with Nightmare like this forever, but he knew they were both already exhausted from all their previous actions and he wanted to bring Nightmare to his limit, to make his first time worth all the while. So he kissed Nightmare again, deep and longing, while shifting slightly in hope of finding that one spot that would send Nightmare off the edge. He knew he found it as Nightmare moaned into the kiss while gripping Cross' shoulders like a lifeline. Soon after, their magic intermingled as they both came almost simultaneously.  
As soon as they both came down from their high Nightmare couldn't hold himself up any longer and fell back down onto the bed. Cross laid down beside him and Nightmare immediately cuddled up to him.  
“Night...”  
“I'm glad..”, Nightmare mumbled. “Glad that I got to do this with you.”  
“So am I”, Cross told him. “I am glad I could be your first. I love you, Nightmare.”  
“I love you too, Cross”, was the last thing Nightmare said before he fell asleep, his head on Cross' shoulder.  
Cross could feel sleep taking him as well. Seems like Nightmare would spend his first night as the prince in Cross' room.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is it weird to ask for comments on this?


	14. Chapter 13: Playing under the Moon

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream and Ink have fun together!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, look! It's a short chapter again!  
> Do I care? Probably a little too much.  
> I feel bad for short updates for some reason?

“So...”, Dream started as soon as Nightmare and Cross went out the door. “Should I help you unpacking? I understand if you would rather not...”  
“I really want to just paint!”, Ink stated, super excited. “The light is perfect! That gives me all the great ideas and.... wait what did you say? Nah, I'm not mad at you.”  
“You're... not?”  
“To be honest, the whole thing was just really weird”, Ink said as he just sat down on the floor. “Being told you're a prince and that Nightmare is not you but your brother. And that he's not the prince... and now you're not the prince? But I figured, I still love you despite all of it. I was never good at holding a grudge against people, partly because my memory isn't the best... so we might as well forget everything and just see where our relationship takes us, right?”  
“Thank you Ink!”, Dream basically screamed and leapt into Ink's arms.  
Ink just laughed and hugged the prince.  
“Alright, but now we should really get to unpacking my things”, Ink said, looking at Dream. “If we hurry, there might still be enough time for a quick painting and I am really excited to paint here!”  
“Hmm, alright”, Dream said and reluctantly got off Ink.  
Then both of them turned to all the bags and boxes that stood in the room.  
“It's mainly old paintings and then all the stuff I use for them... and somewhere there is a bag with clothing”, Ink laughed.  
“I think you should take care of your tools on your own since I have little knowledge about that... so I will take care of your clothes first”, Dream decided and walked towards one of the smaller bags.  
It took them some time to arrange all of Ink's things and by the time they heard a knock on the door they were still contemplating which painting should go where.  
“Come in”, Dream answered out of habit. Then looked at Ink, who just laughed.  
A servant entered the room, holding a tray.  
“The princes told me the two of you would probably forget to get lunch while you were unpacking and ordered me to bring you something to eat”, he said.  
“Oh, great!”, Ink exclaimed. “Now that I think about it, some food would actually be great!”  
Dream got up and took the tray.  
“Give the princes our best thanks”, he said and carried the tray over to a table.  
The servant nodded and left again.  
“Woooow, that's what you're eating here?”, Ink asked excited.  
“Well, yeah?”  
“It looks great! Like, I've never seen something like this before? And it smells amazing!”  
“I'm starting to worry about the way you've been eating!”, Dream said. “What _did_ you eat the whole time?”  
“Uhhm... I had bread every time I could afford it?”, Ink answered, deep in thought. “And when I had a good month I could buy cheese to go with it.”  
“You've... never eaten something warm? Like... cooked?”, Dream got more confused by the second.  
“No?”  
Dream picked up the silverware and handed it to Ink. “Let's just eat”, he sighed.  
Ink nodded and they both sat down on the chairs around the table. As soon as Ink stated eating his eyes did the... thing again. It made Dream smile.  
“That was great!”, Ink exclaimed as soon as he finished eating.  
“Glad you liked it”, Dream said. “Now about the rest of your paintings...”  
“Yap, I think I know a good place for the one we were struggling with!”, Ink stated happily and got off the chair again.  
Ink held the painting up to the wall and turned around to Dream who just got off his chair.  
“What do you think?”, he asked.  
“That place seems great!”, Dream agreed.  
“Then it's settled!”, Ink laughed.  
While Ink tried to attach the painting to the wall Dream rummaged through the rest of the paintings they had littered on the tables and the floor. What caught his eyes was a scene on a field near a small village. He liked it.  
“Can I have this one?”, he asked, not noticing he spoke his thoughts out loud.  
“Hmm?”, Ink walked over to look at the painting. “That's really old.”  
“I like it though”, Dream stated. “Where is this? What was your inspiration?”  
“That's a scene from the harvest season back at the village I originally came from before... a lot happened and I moved to the city. Really, it was one of my first works”, Ink laughed nervously. “But if you really want it...”  
“I'll keep it”, Dream decided.

They took some time choosing a place for the remaining paintings and by the time they were done the sun was already setting. They went to the kitchen to get something for dinner and went back to Ink's room afterwards.  
“I think we did good”, Ink stated, looking around his room.  
“It looks amazing”, Dream said. “Almost makes me forget we're still in the castle. This feels like we're back in your store in the city.”  
“Close enough to home”, Ink smiled. “What now though?”  
“There is a place I would like to visit with you, actually”, Dream told him.  
“We can go in a second”, Ink said. “Just have to grab something!”  
He went to one of the shelves and got a... notepad and a pencil.  
“It's almost dark out though?”, Dream asked confused.  
“Might still be able to sketch something”, Ink shrugged  
“Well, I don't mind”, Dream smiled. “Wouldn't have fallen for an artist if I hated him constantly carrying art supplies around.”  
“I love you too”, Ink laughed.  
And then they left Ink's room.  
Dream lead him to the garden.  
“This place looks so different from the last time we were here”, Ink said as soon as they arrived. “Or maybe I just barely noticed it the last time, because there was so much going on? I definitely need to sketch this! I hope I can remember the colours so I can make it an actual painting!”  
“I thought this place to be really romantic”, Dream said as both of them sat down on a bench. “Though the flowers bloom only at night, but that's what gives this place it's magic. Cross arranged the garden, so he and Night come here a lot. I'm actually surprised they aren't here right now. Though, that gives us all the more freedom right now.”  
“Hm-hm”, Ink agreed. “Just gonna do a sketch real quick.”  
“Is the light enough?”, Dream asked.  
“Should be good enough”, Ink said and opened his sketchbook.  
While Ink was sketching Dream cuddled up to him to look at the picture slowly taking form. Then he remembered something and reached for Ink's scarf. It was full of little notes scribbled onto it in Ink's handwriting, but Dream was looking for a specific one.  
There it was! The one from this morning.  
_Identify them by their eyes  
My boyfriend – golden eyes.  
Purple eyes – actual Nightmare._  
was written on it.  
“ _That_ is what you wrote here this morning?”, Dream laughed.  
“Huh?”, Ink was startled at the sudden sound, then looked down at Dream holding his scarf. “Oh, yeah. I have like.. a really bad memory, so I tend to write down important things on my scarf so I always have them with me, should I need them. It was a tip from prince Cross after all, so I thought it might be a good idea to write it down?”  
“I love how you just wrote boyfriend for me”, Dream laughed.  
“Because that's what you are”, Ink smiled and kissed Dream. Dream blushed. “Oh, yeah”, Ink exclaimed like he just remembered. “On that note, about your brother. He... used to be your servant? I'm... still not sure I get that right?”  
“It seems nobody wanted to see him on the throne, though he is the only one who knows the whole story”, Dream said, thinking about it again himself. “And he never intended to tell anyone. Guess we are lucky he met Cross in the end. He convinced him he could play the part of the prince just as well.”  
“Hate to be that guy”, Ink said. “But it seems your family is really messed up. Never thought royalty was just as bad as normal civilians about hating people for who they are.”  
“Maybe royalty is even worse?”, Dream said, leaning into Ink again. “Or maybe, it just really depends on the person, because neither Cross nor his father ever said or did something bad to Nightmare.”  
“Yeah, I guess that's just how it is”, Ink looked at his sketch. “Well, good enough.”  
“Is that really just a sketch?”, Dream laughed.  
“Well, yes?”  
“You are shading your sketches? I mean, you could easily sell that as a finished work!”  
“Well, I need to remember how the light and shadows looked for when I put this on canvas eventually”, Ink told him. “And I doubt anyone would buy a pencil sketch.”  
“I would totally buy anything from you! You should try to make a whole picture just with pencil. I would love to see that.”  
“I love a good challenge”, Ink agreed and put his notebook down. “Now that I finished we can finally enjoy the magic of this place together.”  
“Hm-hm”, Dream agreed and kissed Ink.  
“Heyy, Dream”, Ink giggled. “I want to jump into the fountain!”  
“What?”, Dream was startled as he was suddenly pulled up by Ink.  
“Come on, get out of your shoes!”, Ink was already walking towards the fountain, backwards, constantly smiling at Dream.  
“Alright, alright”, Dream laughed, pulling off his shoes and socks and following Ink to the fountain.  
The water was... actually quite warm. They sat down at the edge, letting their feet dangle in the water.  
“The water feels nice”, Dream sighed, his eyes closed. “Can't believe this was actually a good idea.”  
“I have only good ideas”, Ink chimed and kissed him.  
“Hahaha, then I doubt the same can be said about me”, Dream laughed as he slid his hand trough the water and send a wave directly at Ink's face.  
“Oh, you're so getting that back”, Ink laughed as Dream already got up and ran away from Ink to the other side of the fountain.  
Ink gathered water in his hands and splashed it on Dream's tunic. Soon, both of them were playing in the water like little children. In a moment of carelessness Dream slipped up and would have probably hit his head if Ink didn't slide through the water on his knees to catch Dream just in time. If they weren't already completely wet, now they were.  
“That was close”, Dream breathed.  
“I saved the prince”, Ink said happily. “Do I get to marry him now?”  
“H-hey, I'm not some damsel in distress!”, Dream exclaimed. “Though, I'm yours already, anyway, remember?”  
“How could I ever forget that”, Ink rasped and kissed his completely wet boyfriend.  
They stayed in this position for a while, until a cold wind howled through the garden and Dream shivered.  
“It got really cold all of a sudden”, he said. “Maybe we should go back inside. Staying isn't the best idea, especially now that our clothes are all wet.”  
“You're probably right”, Ink smiled and kissed him again. “Let's go back to my room.”  
They tried their best to rinse their clothes at least a little and after his hands were remotely dry again Ink picked up his sketchbook and they went to his room.  
As soon as they were in his room, Ink started to get out of his clothes.  
“You should undress as well”, he told Dream. “Wouldn't want you to catch a cold.”  
“But... I can't exactly walk through the castle without clothes”, Dream argued.  
“Well, then you will just have to stay in my room”, Ink smiled.  
“I can't find any argument against that”, Dream laughed and started to undress.  
“Hmm, you're hot”, Ink hugged Dream from behind after the latter got out of his wet tunic.  
“No, you are”, Dream turned around to face Ink and let his hands move along the other's ribs. “I love seeing you like this. My work of art. And I'm the only one to see it.”  
“You're still getting poetic over this”, Ink mused. “Okay, now undress completely and get to bed with me!”  
“Working on it!”, Dream laughed. “But a certain artist just hugged me, giving me little space to continue.”  
“I'm already gone, already gone”, Ink smiled, holding his hands up.  
Dream continued to get out of his wet clothes and they threw all of them over a few chairs to dry.  
Then they cuddled up in Ink's bed to warm their bones.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Well, if nothing else, at least Ink and Dream had fun here!


	15. Chapter 14: Running Errands

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More cute Ink and Dream for your soul!

Nightmare woke up at his usual time that morning. And was startled to find someone next to him. Looking around, he recognized the room to be Cross' and the memories came back to him. Thinking about all the things they did the evening before made him blush.  
Cross stirred next to him and Nightmare turned around to look at him.  
He had the pleasure of seeing Dream asleep every now and then, but seeing Cross in this state was completely different somehow. Nightmare wanted to cuddle up to him, wanted to touch him, but at the same time he wouldn't want this moment to end. He wanted to see Cross, just peacefully asleep like this, he couldn't bring himself to wake him. So he cuddled up to Cross, just a little closer. Just enough to touch but not enough to wake him.  
He could allow himself a few more minutes.  
He rested next to Cross for a good thirty minutes still, before he decided it was time for both of them to get up.  
“Cross”, he whispered, softly caressing Cross' cheek. “Cross, wake up.”  
Cross stirred slightly, not opening his eyes. “Hmm? Nighty?”, he mumbled, barely awake.  
“We need to get up, Cross.”  
Suddenly Nightmare felt two strong arms around him.  
“Isn't it way too early?”, Cross cuddled up to Nightmare and slowly opened his eyes.  
“Well, considering we have to somehow find our clothes in the mess on the floor and then distinguish between mine and yours, I think it's just about time”, Nightmare joked.  
“Hmmm”, Cross caressed Nightmare’s skull and pressed a soft kiss to his forehead. “Just five more minutes, okay?”  
If Nightmare had to be honest with himself, lying under a comfortable blanket in the strong embrace of the person he loved wasn't so bad. Maybe, just maybe he could allow himself five more minutes.  
And so, for five minutes they lay in bed, legs entangled, sharing soft touches and kisses. But five minutes passed way to easily and Cross wished he had asked for more.  
“Okay, you had your five minutes”, Nightmare said softly, kissing Cross again. “Time I solve the puzzle that is our clothing.”  
“Nooo, Night”, Cross whined, but Nightmare already got out of the bed. Cross sat up and decided to watch Nightmare for a while.  
Nightmare found his pants first and immediately put them on. Then he continued to look through the mess. He pulled up a black shirt.  
“Is this yours or mine?”, he asked.  
“I think it's your?”, Cross answered, not completely sure either. “Mine has a turtleneck.”  
“Hmm, okay”, Nightmare shrugged and put it on.  
After that it didn't take him long to find his tunic and cape, seeing as the yellow clothes were easy to spot on the floor. Then he collected the remaining clothes and threw them in Cross' direction.  
“I already did the hard work”, Nightmare laughed. “Now you can at least dress yourself on your own.”  
“Fine”, Cross smiled as he got up and stretched to pop his bones back into position. Then he got dressed and put his tiara on.  
After that he took Nightmare's tiara off the nightstand and walked over to him.  
He put the tiara on Nightmare's head and kissed him.  
“Did you sleep well?”, Cross asked as he hugged Nightmare.  
“I rarely ever slept better”, Nightmare answered.  
“Does... anything hurt?”, Cross blushed, thinking back to the last night.  
“No, I'm good”, Nightmare blushed.  
“Should we check on your brother?”, Cross asked, still holding Nightmare.  
“Oh my god, I totally forgot! He doesn't usually wake on his own”, Nightmare said and was almost out of the door already. Cross followed him.

Ink woke up before Dream did. At first he was confused, he didn't remember this much light in his sleeping room. Then he felt the bony fingers on his ribs and turned around to see the sleeping form of his lover.  
_Tell me I'm cute once again..._ , he thought. _Give yourself some credit, Dreamy._  
For a moment, Ink contemplated how to wake Dream, then settled on trying to kiss him awake. Like you did with the princess in most fairytales.  
So he leaned over Dream, caressed his ribs and kissed his face, went to his neck and back to his face. All he got from Dream were some sleepy moans.  
“Okay, dreamy boy, time to wake up”, he whispered finally.  
“H-huh?”, Dream opened his eyes. Then blushed. “Ink! Good morning.”  
“Good morning, love. Time to see, whether or not your clothes are dry”, Ink rasped.  
“O-oh, right”, Dream laughed. “We had some fun last night.”  
Ink stood up and walked over to the chair they dumped their clothes on last night.  
“Still damp”, he said as Dream walked over too.  
“Hmm, will have to do”, he answered as he grabbed the tunic. “I'll just walk over to my room in these and ask Night for new ones.”  
“Oh, I bet he'll be amused listening to our explanation of why you need a change of clothes”, Ink laughed.  
“Oh stars, I'll have to listen to his lecture about how dangerous that was and how I could have caught a cold and... what will you wear now, anyway?”  
“That was the cutest rambling ever!”, Ink laughed and walked over to his wardrobe. “I will just grab a change of clothes from here. You put them in there yesterday, remember?”  
“Oooh, riiight”, Dream smiled. “You have like... tons of the same outfit in there!”  
“Hey, they are comfortable after all!”, Ink complained.  
They both just laughed at that and got dressed. Then walked over to Dream's room.

“Night? Are you awake?”, Dream knocked on the door, separating the brother's rooms.  
Before Dream could open the door a very agitated Nightmare burst through the main door, followed by a flustered Cross.  
Everyone stopped right in their tracks.  
“Uuhm, Dream... you are awake...?”, Nightmare half stated, half asked.  
“Well, yes? And you played tag with Cross in the castle?”, Dream asked.  
“He remembered, he needs to wake you”, Cross said, trying to catch his breath.  
“Yeah, that's the thing...”, Dream said, looking over to Ink. “I kinda slept in Ink's room tonight... because we had an accident.”  
“I don't need to hear stories about your make-outs”, Cross exclaimed.  
“Waaait, that's not what happened”, Dream said in defence.  
“Or maybe, a little, but that's still not the main problem here”, Ink smiled innocently.  
“Okay, then what is it?”, Night asked.  
“My clothes got... really wet yesterday”, Dream explained. “And I kinda need new ones because they are still damp.”  
“It didn't rain yesterday...”, Nightmare considered the options. “What did you do?”  
“He might have... accidentally fallen into the fountain in the garden? Completely coincidentally and without any assistance”, Ink took the explaining upon himself. “Though I, heroically, saved the prince in need, just before he could hit his head!”  
“You... fell into the fountain? Why.. no wait, actually”, Nightmare sighed. “I don't think I _want_ to know how that happened. I'll just get you fresh clothes.”  
Nightmare disappeared to his room for a moment, then a set of clothes flew right to Dream's face and Nightmare came back to the room.  
“Whatever you were doing, don't do it again. You could have caught a cold walking around in wet clothes. You could have hit your head and I have no idea what I would have done if you did. You could have ended up in a coma from that!”  
Cross had never seen Nightmare that... angry. He wasn't sure how to react at all. Gladly, he didn't need to.  
Dream walked towards Nightmare and gave him a comforting hug.  
“It's alright, Night”, he whispered. “I'm here, I'm alright. No need to worry. Ink was there, he caught me. I won't do it again.”  
Dream's comforting words made Nightmare cry the tears he'd been holding in.  
“I... just couldn't loose you”, he said. “Not like that, not now. Everything seems to finally have turned out good for us. I need you, brother. Don't... don't ever leave me!”  
“I won't Night, I won't”, Dream reassured him.  
Cross looked over to Ink, who just... wiped a tear from his eyes?  
“Isn't brotherly love something beautiful?”, he said.  
Cross just nodded. The brothers parted again and Nightmare wiped his eyes while Dream changed his clothes.  
“All set”, Dream chimed as he got the dry clothes on.  
“I better bring your damp clothes to the laundry then”, Nightmare said. Then realized, that.. “Oh, wait....”  
“Haha, Night”, Dream couldn't stop laughing. “Where's the laundry room?”  
“Lowest floor, all the way to the right”, Cross and Nightmare recited simultaneously.  
Dream just laughed even more at that. Cross and Nightmare looked at each other and blushed.  
“Breakfast?”, Cross asked.  
“Yeah, we better go”, Nightmare agreed.  
“We'll just grab something from the kitchen then”, Dream said. “Meet back here later?”  
“Yeah, good idea”, Cross said.  
Then he took Nightmare to the dining hall. Dream and Ink went to collect Ink's damp clothes and visited the laundry room before they got breakfast.

“Can we go to the city?”, Ink asked as they met back at Dream's room after breakfast.  
“The city?”, Nightmare asked.  
“I don't see why not”, Cross said. “Also, my father always wanted a painting of our castle from afar. Doesn't have to happen today, but if you find a good spot and the motivation”, Cross shrugged. “Just think about it. You somehow need to keep your alibi as our painter.”  
Ink scribbled something down on his scarf. “Is noted”, he laughed.  
“Just don't do anything reckless”, Nightmare said.  
“I won't, promise”, Dream smiled and turned around to search for something in his wardrobe.   
“I still need some things from my room”, Ink told them, turning to the door.   
“We'll take our leave as well”, Cross announces and took Nightmare's hand, then opened the door.   
“Alright”, Dream nodded. “Ink, I'll come over to your room once I got everything!”

They were walking over the market again. Dream seemed super excited to finally be able to buy some things. So they went to the glass-blowers workshop again.  
“Oh, Ink. It is nice to see you here again”, the owner greeted him. “And I see you brought your friend with you again.”  
“I'm happy to be back as well”, Ink smiled. “For once I was actually busy and it was quite the workout!”  
“We heard you moved away from the city. Did they end up throwing you out because of the rent? You know you could always ask us for money.”  
“And I told you, I would try my best to become independent”, Ink said. “You already did enough for me. Well, I didn't move out because of the rent. I actually just... got a job somewhere else.”  
“Oh, but that are some good news, Ink! You deserve the recognition. You're an amazing artist after all.”  
Ink blushed slightly. “Thank you for always believing in me!”, he smiled. Then he turned to Dream, who was looking around the store while Ink was talking. “So, did you find something yet?”  
“I like this one”, Dream pointed to a small yellow bird. “What do you think?”  
“Suits you!”, Ink couldn't wipe the smile off his face. “It would certainly look nice in your room.”  
“Should I bring something for my brother too?”  
Ink thought for a moment, then turned to the shop owner. “Do you still have the dark flowers we used to make back in the days?”  
“Wait here a moment”, he said and disappeared to the back of the shop. A moment later he came back holding a glass miniature of a flower that looked almost like the ones blooming in the castles garden.  
“We still have a few of these”, he told them.  
“That is amazing! He would love it, I just know it!”, Dream said breathlessly.  
“Well, seems like we'll buy the yellow bird and that flower”, Ink shrugged.  
“I'll wrap them up for you”, the owner said and went to get the bird Dream was still standing in front of to wrap them in many layers of paper to prevent them from breaking.  
Dream rummaged through his purse and placed a few coins on the counter.  
“Young man, that is too much”, the owner said as he handed Dream the finished package.  
“I've seen the prices”, Dream said while he carefully placed the package in his bag. “But... just see it as a token of thanks from me. For taking care of Ink.”  
“There's no way we could accept this! We were helping Ink because we thought a talent like him shouldn't rot in the sewers of the city, not because we wanted anything in return.”  
Ink hugged Dream from behind and gave him a quick kiss. “You see, my boyfriend here is feeling generous today. And as far as I know him, he is one stubborn guy when it comes to giving away his money, so you better accept it now, because he won't take no for an answer anyway.”  
Dream reached his hand up to hug Ink. “Well, you're not wrong there”, he giggled.  
“Then, I thank you very much. It seems I will leave Ink in good hands with you.”  
“Oh, you can count on that”, Ink smiled. “He is the best boyfriend I could have hoped for.”  
They all said their goodbyes and the boys went out of the store again.  
On their way across the market they passed a clothing store.  
“Oh, can we go in there?”, Dream asked excited. “I've never tried civil clothes before!”  
“You shouldn't just shout 'civil clothes' across the market”, Ink laughed. “What will the people think? That you're some kind of prince?”  
“Very funny”, Dream tried to say it as serious as he could, but laughed as soon as he said it.  
“Alright, let's see what you will find.”  
“Sooo, how do common people shop for clothing?”, Dream asked as soon as they went in.  
“You... take a piece you like from one of these piles of clothing and ugh, when you're done picking things you like, you go to the back and try them on. And if they fit you decide whether you actually want to buy them?”  
“Alright then...”, Dream looked around for a moment and already discovered so many things he would like to try. He excitedly walked from pile to pile.  
Ink facepalmed. What had he gotten himself into? This was like walking a child through a candy store. Only, he was walking a prince through a clothing store. Yeah, similar enough.  
After a while Dream walked back to Ink with a smile, brighter than the sun.  
“Alright, will you watch me try them on?”, he asked.  
“You're way too excited about this”, Ink mumbled, but still answered: “Of course, let's go.”  
Apparently, Dream had picked enough clothing to put together three different outfits. He changed into the first one and stepped in front of Ink.  
“What the stars are you even wearing!?”, Ink blurted out.  
Dream wore a jacket with fur on the hood over a loose shirt and knee-length pants. He got out of his shoes to change, so he was standing there in just his socks.  
“What, don't you like it?”, Dream smiled. “Is this what common people wear? It feels comfortable enough.”  
“I mean, I am sure some weird guy, somewhere would wear that, but...I don't think it defines the masses?”, Ink tried to voice his disdain towards the outfit.  
“I was just joking anyway”, Dream laughed. “I don't think I'll buy them.”  
Dream changed again and stepped in front of Ink.  
“Yeah, no. You're so not buying that!”, was all Ink could say, blushing like crazy.  
Dream was wearing a crop top over a skirt and the most idiotic smile Ink could imagine on the prince's face. He just knew he was pulling it off better than he should.  
“Aaaww, but don't I look great, Inky?”, Dream cooed.  
“You're mad”, Ink said, covering his blush with his hands.  
“Well, then I'll better change again”, Dream said and disappeared for the third time.  
“So?”, he smiled as he stood in front of Ink again.  
“You look cute, somehow”, Ink blushed, glancing sideways.  
Dream wore a yellow pullover and short brown pants over a black pair of leggings.  
“I mean, it probably looks weird with Night's boots to it... but I really wanted to wear something yellow again.”  
“You are probably going to buy this then?”, Ink asked.  
“Well, does it look decent enough?”, Dream asked with a shy blush on his face.  
“I think it looks good on you”, Ink told him.  
“Do you think I can leave them on? Oh, I really want to walk around like this now!”, Dream got excited again.  
“Well, sure you can. If you have the money to pay for the things”, a woman said, walking towards them.  
Ink, who was holding Dream's bag the whole time handed him his purse. Dream counted a few coins and handed them to the lady.  
“You can keep the change”, Dream told her as he put Nightmare's boots back on and tried to stuff the clothes he wore before into his bag.  
“Are you sure? That's a lot of money”, the woman said.  
“I said you can keep it”, Dream smiled and put his bag back on. Then he grabbed Ink's arm. “I want to get something to eat now!”  
“Got something in mind?”, Ink asked. “It's almost lunch now, maybe we shouldn't just buy doughnuts.”  
“Soo... what do.. people.. do when they want to eat lunch?”, Dream asked.  
Ink really had to keep himself from laughing. “Come with me, I think I know a place.”  
Ink guided him to a place called “Grillbys”. The atmosphere inside was completely different from anything Dream had ever witnessed. There was a piano next to a wall and a small band played music. A bunch of tables were placed around the large room, a waiter was showing them to a table.  
The whole place had a charming aura despite the many people that were there.  
“Would you like something to drink?”, the waiter with the name tag 'Grillby' asked them.  
“I'll have a glass of water”, Dream said.  
“Yeah, water seems fine”, Ink told him.  
The waiter went away to get their water.  
“So, uh, how...”, Dream started.  
Ink threw him a menu. “You look through that and decide on something to eat.”  
Dream opened the menu. “I... have no idea what that is...”  
“What?”, Ink asked shocked.  
“Like, more than half of these things? I never heard of”, Dream said embarrassed.  
Just at that, the waiter came back and placed their water in front of them.  
“Have you decided on something to eat yet?”, he asked.  
“Uuhm”, Dream didn't know what to say.  
“It's our first time eating here”, Ink stated. “Is there something you could recommend?”  
“Well, the stew is pretty good. It's also this place's trademark, so most people order it”, he answered.  
“Great, then we'll have a double order of that”, Ink decided.  
The waiter nodded and disappeared again.  
“You know”, Ink laughed, “this is really funny somehow.”  
“What is?”, Dream asked confused.  
“You.. just... the way you try to figure out how common folk things work? And the way you obviously don't fit in here? Seeing you now, I'm surprised you seemed like a normal runaway to me the first time we met.”  
“We... didn't really do things I was uncommon with”, Dream answered, thinking back on their meetings. “Like, you ordered the juice and the doughnuts, so there was that. And... I'm not exactly unfamiliar with the concept of a park...”  
“Right, it did surprise me that you apparently never heard of doughnuts before. And the amount of money you had was weird, but... that wasn't enough to make the connection.”  
“Well, I was trying to act as normal as possible, so I guess I just played my cards right”, Dream smiled.  
A moment later Grillby came back with their food. He placed it in front of them and wished them a good meal, then went away to take the orders of other customers.  
“Looks interesting, smells good”, Dream stated. Then he took a spoonful. “And it tastes great! We should do things like this more often.”  
“I'm glad you're enjoying this so far”, Ink smiled. “And I mean, if I don't finish the request Cross gave me today, then we have a good excuse to come back and repeat the events of today.”  
“Did you even bring your art supplies?”, Dream asked.  
“Well, I'm not going to carry a whole canvas through the city, so if I intended to draw the castle I would probably do a really detailed sketch and try to redraw it on canvas later”, Ink told him. “And I wouldn't be an artist if I didn't constantly carry my sketchbook with me.”  
“You're one of a kind”, Dream laughed.  
“So are you”, Ink said. Then both of them continued to eat their lunch.  
After they finished Dream gave a generous tip and they left. They decided to buy doughnuts and juice and go to the park like usual.  
As soon as they arrived at 'their place' in the park, Dream just laid down in the grass and Ink sat next to him.  
“So, will you sketch the castle now?”, Dream asked.  
“I don't think so”, Ink told him. “The sun isn't perfect and the position could be better too. I will try it another time.”  
“So, what will you do now?”  
“I could try sketching something from memory”, Ink said.  
“What would that be?”, Dream laughed slightly.  
“Well, I don't have the best memory”, Ink admitted. “And the only thing that's on my mind right now is you.”  
“That's cheesy”, Dream laughed. “So, you will draw me from memory? I'm right next to you, you know? What memory will it be?”  
“Remember the last time we were here together?”, Ink asked.  
“As if I could forget that”, Dream blushed. “Wait, no way in hell you will draw that!”  
Dream was sitting upright now, a bright yellow blush on his face.  
“What's the problem with that, prince?”, Ink mocked him. “This is my sketchbook after all.”  
“Fine”, Dream let himself fall back down again. “As if there's anything troubling me about that. Go ahead and draw my perfect bones in that stupid sketchbook of yours. But don't, not for a second, think about looking at your drawing when you could look at me.”  
“Don't worry”, Ink smiled. “I wouldn't spend more time than necessary looking at a painting. Not if the original is right next to me.”  
Dream just hummed and closed his eyes.  
“You tired?”, Ink asked.  
“No”, Dream protested. “I'm just enjoying the weather with my eyes closed.”  
Dream was a horrible liar. Within minutes he was asleep. Ink decided, he could draw Dream naked any time he wanted, but this was a moment he wanted to memorize exactly as it was. And so he drew Dream, asleep in the half-shade of the big tree behind him. His new pullover slightly rustled from lying down, not entirely covering his bones, revealing part of his hip bones. His new pants perfectly framing his legs. The way Nightmare's purple boots gave the whole thing a ridiculous contrast but the young prince didn't care. And the way he blushed slightly yellow in his sleep, his arms folded beneath his head.

Ink added details to the sketch until it could no longer be considered a sketch. This moment deserved a perfect drawing after all.   
He looked up at the sky. The sun wasn't setting yet, so there was still time to start that other drawing he used to tease Dream with before. He decided now was as good an opportunity as any.   
He had it sketched out pretty decent by the time the sun was setting. Too many shadows made it hard to get a good look at what he was doing and they should probably get back to the castle before it was completely dark anyway. So he decided to wake Dream.   
“Hey, sleeping beauty”, he whispered, “time to wake up.”  
Dream sighed as he turned towards Ink and opened his eyes. “I told you, I wasn't sleeping”, Dream mumbled. “Wait, when did the sun start to set..?”  
“Not sleeping, I see”, Ink laughed. “Time to go back though.”  
“Alright”, Dream said as he stretched and stood up.   
As they arrived back at the castle Ink went to his room to store his sketchbook back where it belonged while Dream went to his own room, hoping to find Nightmare.   
Nightmare wasn't there but it didn't take him long to get there.   
“Dream, you're back!”, he said while still in the process of opening and closing the door. “Also, what are you wearing?”   
“Oh, I bought some clothes at the market”, Dream smiled. “You know I still fancy yellow. What do you think?”  
“It suits you”, Nightmare smiled. “You could probably really pass as a civilian now.”  
“Yeah, save for my weird behavior", Dream laughed. “Ink taught me a few lessons on how to be a normal person today.”  
“Well, I'm glad you had fun.”   
“Oh, yeah, I almost forgot!”, Dream searched through his bag until he found the package. “There are people in town who make art out of glass and it's really amazing. And I wanted to buy something from them and then I thought I could get something for you too. And I got you this, because I know you really enjoyed the garden and-”, Dream was holding out the glass flower.   
“Breathe, Dream”, Nightmare laughed. Then he looked at the flower. “It really looks like the ones from the garden. I think I will ask Cross for a miniature vase to keep it in. Thanks for thinking of me”, Nightmare hugged his brother, careful because he still held the glass flower, but still with enough love to convey his feelings. 

He later found out Cross had a miniature vase for absolutely no reason and they sat in Nightmare's room looking at the flower for a long time. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Consider leaving a comment! Or don't.  
> I appreciate it!  
> Thank you all for reading.


	16. Chapter 15: Unfortunate circumstances

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things go downhill again, it seems.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I still remember my beta telling me they just want everyone to be happy when we first started together xD But a few weeks ago I told them this story was getting close to it's end.  
> My beta told me they wanted to read more of this and basically gave me a pretty good description of how they wanted this chapter to go.  
> So, for any drama in this chapter, please blame my beta.

Dream danced through the streets of the city, Ink following close behind. It's been a few days since the last time they visited the city. The weather was great and the sun bright in a cloudless sky. They decided to use the day to it's fullest and grab some doughnuts for breakfast. Dream got a little sad hearing that his recently bought outfit was in the laundry, but it's not like he hasn't gotten used to wearing Nightmare's clothes by now.  
While they were waiting in line to order, Dream thought he heard noises from a nearby alleyway. Surely Ink wouldn't mind if he checked that for a few seconds? It's not like he'd be gone long.  
So he went into that alleyway only to find a... cat.  
“Well, aren't you a cute kitty?”, he smiled, kneeling down to pat the cat.  
He just wanted to get up again as he felt a hand around his neck, a cloth over his mouth and nose. He couldn't breath and everything went black.

Ink paid for the doughnuts and walked to the side, hoping to find Dream not far away.  
“Dream?”, he asked.  
_He was really excited today, where could he have run off to?_ , Ink wondered.  
“Dream?”, he said a little louder, walking around the area of the store.  
A cat meowing was _not_ the answer he expected. He looked towards the source of the sound. A dirty grey street cat sat at the entrance to a rather dark alleyway. It stood up, swayed it's tail a little and walked deeper into the alley.  
“I'm going crazy”, Ink told himself as he followed the cat into the alley.  
He followed the cat while occasionally calling for Dream. He still couldn't believe he was walking behind an animal trying to find his boyfriend but he was getting desperate. Anything could happen in this city.  
The cat stopped. Ink looked down at a boy, not quite a teenager yet. Homeless from the looks of it. He patted the cat.  
“Are you looking for someone?”, the boy asked.  
“I a-”  
“A little shorter than you, wears a purple outfit”, the boy interrupted him.  
“Yes, where is he? What happened?”  
“A tall man in expensive clothes came here today. I think he bought some things from the alchemist that resides in this part of town. Then he walked along this alley. The boy you are looking for came here to play with my cat, but the man did something to him and he collapsed. I think he carried him to the city entrance.”  
Ink didn't even notice he dropped the bag with doughnuts as he started running.  
“Thanks for the food”, the boy laughed, but Ink didn't hear it. His mind was racing. Why would someone do this to Dream? What did this man want from him?  
Would he make it in time?  
Ink didn't like this part of the city. Dark alleyways and vendors selling wares in legal grey areas. But this was the fastest route towards the city entrance. He could bare with it, for Dream. Just run straight trough, don't look to the sides.  
He saw them from afar, still minutes away from the entrance. But there was a carriage right at the city gates, a man, matching what little description he got from the boy, placing the unconscious body of Dream inside before climbing in as well. They left before Ink even reached the city gates.  
Ink collapsed on the pavement. He was too late. What was he supposed to do now? He couldn't outrun a carriage.  
Ink didn't know how long he sat there, tears streaming down his face. People were passing him by, the sun was rising... he should stand up, should do something.  
Maybe... if this guy was a noble, there would be a chance of Cross knowing _something, anything really._ Ink had to get his hopes up somehow.  
Telling Cross and Nightmare he lost Dream would be hard after all.

Ink walked back to the castle. He would run if he had the energy, but he felt really drained after what he just witnessed.  
Climbing the stairs to the second floor felt like a chore.  
He felt ink raising up in his throat as he knocked on the door to Dream and Nightmare's room. No answer. He knocked again, he looked inside. Empty.  
He was still nowhere near calm as he knocked on Cross' door. No answer. Not the first time, not the fifth time. Empty.  
Then, where..? A servant passed through the hallway.  
“E-excuse me!”, he called out. She turned towards him. “The princes, have you seen them recently?”  
“I think they went to the garden after breakfast”, she answered with a smile.  
“A-are you.. free right now?”, he had to swallow back the nervousness. “I still don't really know my way around the castle, but I need to talk to them. It's urgent.”  
“Sure, follow me”, she answered and gestured for him to follow her.  
Walking through the hallways felt both too long and not long enough. He knew he had to tell them, the sooner the better or stars know what could happen to Dream. But at the same time, he didn't want to see the disappointment in Nightmare's face.  
_“I trust you to take good care of my brother”_ , that's what he said.  
Ink should have. Should have known, should have told Dream the city could be dangerous. You couldn't just _expect_ a prince to know the dark alleyways were dangerous!  
“Now you just need to keep walking straight ahead and trough the gate at the end of the path”, the voice of the servant ripped him out of his thoughts.  
“Thank you”, he told her and kept walking as she turned around to go back to the castle.  
A few more steps, through the gate, just ahead...  
As he entered the garden time seemed to stand still. For a moment, Ink could have almost forgotten why he was here. The way the garden was beautiful still, even during the daytime. How there were so many shades of green starting from the grass to the leaves of the trees. Healthy, beautiful, light green, dark green. There was something magical about the way the light of the sun painted a certain glow to parts of the garden, but also let shadows grow in other areas.  
It was a quiet scene that unfolded before him, disturbed only by the ever present patter of the fountain.  
And there they were, Cross and Nightmare, a picture of perfect tranquillity. Cross sat on a bench a book in one hand. Nightmare slept on the same bench, his head in Cross' lap, hands still holding a book to his ribcage. If the breeze didn't rustle through their clothes every now and then, Ink could have sworn they were a painting. But if this was anything, it was the calm before a storm.  
They looked so peaceful, if it were anything else, Ink would turn around and go back to where he came from. But the matter at hand had to be addressed.  
Ink walked towards them, stopping just far enough from their bench to be in hearing range.  
“Cross”, he started, timidly.  
“Ink?”, Cross asked. In his lap, Nightmare was slowly waking, blinking and sitting up. “Weren't you supposed to go to the city with Dream today?”  
“I... just came back from the city”, Ink stated, switching from one foot to the other in his nervousness.  
“Then why aren't you with Dream?”, Cross asked.  
“Don't tell me you managed to get his outfit wet again”, Nightmare said, still only half awake. “You guys know I haven't brought a whole wardrobe of spare outfits.”  
“That's not it”, Ink said. “Dream... didn't come back with me.”  
“What?”, Nightmare asked, suddenly fully awake.  
“He got kidnapped”, Ink said, collapsing on the floor, arms around him and tears on his face.  
“H-he what now?”, Nightmare couldn't believe what he heard. He tried to stand up but Cross stopped him.  
“Night”, he tried to calm him. “You have to-”  
“Don't even try to tell me to calm down, Cross!”, Nightmare half screamed, half sobbed. “My brother just got kidnapped! My brother...just got...”  
“Night, please...”  
“Why would they kidnap him? What has my brother ever done to deserve this? It.. it should have been me! Why him?! I-I.. said I would protect him, always. I promised him! I..have you.. ever thought about... what they will do to him?”  
“Night..”, Cross pulled him into a comforting hug. “Deep breaths, Nightmare. I'm here. We will find your brother.”  
Nightmare was shaking in Cross' embrace. He wasn't listening, unable to calm down completely. How was he supposed to calm down, knowing his brother was trapped somewhere, with people wanting one thing or another from him. It was nothing good, that much he knew.  
“What if they hurt him?”, Nightmare whispered against the fabric of Cross' shirt. “Have I failed him?”  
“If anyone has failed him, it's me”, Ink said, wiping his own tears.  
“Ink!”, Cross gave him a look that told him it was the wrong time for this.  
“Sorry”, Ink said.  
“We will try our best to find him once you calmed down, Night”, Cross whispered. “So take deep breaths now.”  
Nightmare clawed at Cross' shirt, shaking hard while he tried to somehow regulate his breaths back to a normal level.  
Ink shifted on the ground, looking like he wanted to say something.  
Cross shook his head. “Give him five more minutes”, he said.  
“I'm good”, Nightmare complained. “The more we wait the worse it'll get for Dream.”  
Cross looked at Nightmare, long and thoroughly until he said: “Alright, Ink, how did it happen? What do you remember?”  
“Well, there was this man, he wore expensive clothes, not something anyone living in the city could afford. I only saw how he took Dream into his carriage though.”  
“Do you remember any colours? The carriage or what he wore exactly?”, Cross asked.  
“The carriage and the get up of the horses was all green with blue ornaments and decorations”, Ink answered, thinking back to scene. “And he wore a... dark green cape? But he had the hood on and I was too far away to see his face anyway.”  
“There are a lot of noble houses around here with green as their main colour”, Cross grunted. “I know I should have studied them better but it just never was something that I really cared about.”  
“That's all I saw, though”, Ink said sadly.  
“What now?”, Nightmare asked, almost on the verge of a panic attack again.  
“We'll just have to ask my father”, Cross told them. “He wouldn't be the king if he didn't know all the smaller and bigger noble houses around. If he came to the city by carriage he has to live around here. No one takes half a day trips by carriage for a morning shopping in the city.”  
Ink stood up, so did Cross, extending a hand to Nightmare who took it.  
“I'll go back to my room then”, Ink said.  
“Ink, you don't have to-”, Cross tried.  
“I am just a random painter you hired, remember?”, Ink explained with a half-hearted smile. “I don't belong next to the princes in conversations with the king. I already gave you all the information I had, now it's up to you to find the culprit.”  
“I really wish there was anything I could say to make this easier for you”, Cross sighed.  
“That's not needed, though”, Ink reassured him. “I should be happy I am able to spend as much time with Dream as I did for the past few days. Embarging on a royal rescue mission is far out of my league. After all, I got him into this situation to begin with.”  
“Alright, I see”, Cross accepted. “Oh, and, Night?”  
“Hmm?”  
“Leave the talking to me, okay?”  
“W-what? Why?”, Nightmare protested.  
“Well, first of all, you just had a panic attack. I can't afford you to collapse in front of my father. And the other thing is, I can't have you slip up and mention that 'Dream' or 'your brother' got kidnapped. You are Dream right now, remember? We can't afford losing time by explaining the whole thing to my father first”, Cross explained seriously. “Also, he is my father and I still know how best to talk to him.”  
“Alright, you got a point”, Nightmare nodded.  
Then they all went their ways.

“Ready?”, Cross asked. They stood in front of the door to the king's office.  
“No”, Nightmare answered truthfully. “But I won't be more ready if we wait another five minutes, so let's do this.”  
“Alright”, Cross nodded. Then he knocked on the door.  
“Who is it?”, the king called out.  
“Cross and Dream”, Cross said. He noticed how Nightmare tightened his hold on his hand at the mention of his brother's name.  
“Come in”, the king said.  
Cross opened the door and lead Nightmare inside.  
The king was hunched over some paperwork, sitting on a big desk placed between shelves of books. “Hello boys”, he greeted them, then looked up, studying their faces. “Well, you look like you have seen a ghost, sit down and tell me what this is about?”  
Cross and Nightmare looked at each other for a moment, then sat down on chairs placed in front of the desk.  
Cross took a deep breath, then started: “You remember the artist? He enjoys occasionally visiting the city to gather inspiration. Today Dream gave Nightmare the day off to go with him. And just a few minutes ago the artist, Ink, came back to tell us that Nightmare got kidnapped. And as far as he could tell, the kidnapper is a noble.”  
The king got up from his chair and walked over to one of his shelves. “The colours, did he remember?”, he asked.  
“Mainly green, blue ornaments”, Cross answered. “Went by carriage. And apparently he wore a dark green tunic with a hood.”  
“Green is the colour of the eastern part of our kingdom”, the king mumbled while scanning his books. “Most of the houses in green colour decorate in gold, silver or bronze though, so if he uses blue he is of the less wealthy houses...”  
The king picked a book from the shelve and opened it, turned a few pages and put it back on the shelve. He did the same with a few others, then mumbled to himself: “Not here.”  
Then he walked to the door of his office. “You two, follow me”, he said turning back to Cross and Nightmare. Neither of them asked any questions, just stood up and followed him out of the door. Once outside, he stopped the next servant: “Get that artist to the library, I'll be waiting for him.”  
The servant nodded and disappeared into the opposite direction the king, Cross and Nightmare were headed.  
As soon as they entered the library the king walked along the many shelves, obviously looking for something specific. After a while he put three books down on a table and opened them all to different pages. A moment later, Ink entered.  
“You asked for me, your majesty?”, he said upon entering.  
“I did indeed”, the king told him. He then pointed to the books. “I would like you to look through these books and tell me which looks closest to what you remember the ornaments on the carriage looked like.”  
“Alright, I'll try my best”, Ink said uncertain as he walked over to the books.  
“You can turn the pages if you don't recognize anything from the ones that are open.”  
And so Ink looked through the first book. He may have a bad memory, but he knew none of the pictures matched what he remembered.  
He turned a page in the second book and-  
“This is it”, he said, pointing to one of the pictures.  
“I should have guessed it”, the king said, scribbling something down on a piece of paper.  
“Do we know him?”, Cross asked curious.  
“He still has a huge debt to pay. We saved his house from ruin a few times already, but this time he went to far”, the king said calmly. Then he went back to the servant that brought Ink to the library, gave him the piece of paper and said: “Ready the carriage. I also need two guards with me.”  
“Yes, your majesty! We will have everything ready in a few minutes!”, the servant bowed and disappeared down the hallway.  
The king turned back to Cross and Nightmare. “I still need to change into more... fitting attire. I will meet you at the carriage in ten minutes.” Then he left for his chambers.  
“I'll go back to my room, then”, Ink said, already on the leave.  
“I'm really sorry there is nothing we can do for you”, Cross told him, while Ink already walked towards his room. Then he turned to Nightmare: “Is there anything you still need before we go?”  
“N-no, I don't think so”, Nightmare answered. “I just... didn't expect it to go this fast? I mean, it's just a servant that got kidnapped, right?”  
Cross took a deep breath. “That doesn't matter to us”, he said. “Someone from our court is in a dangerous situation, that's enough to act as fast as we can.”  
“Are we going to the carriage then?”, Nightmare asked, grabbing Cross' hand.  
“Yeah, let's go”, Cross nodded. “That has me wondering though”, he looked at Nightmare, “why did you three ride here? You sure have carriages as well in your kingdom.”  
“My brother tends to get motion-sick in a carriage”, Nightmare could barely hold a smile in. “He's okay with riding a horse though.”  
“No way!”, Cross laughed. “How did you manage travelling all the years then?”  
“We... never really managed it”, Nightmare answered. “We would regularly check any healer and alchemist, but he never got something that kept his breakfast where it was supposed to be for longer than an hour.”  
“Now I feel kinda sorry for him”, Cross smiled. “He will have to come home with us in one after all.”  
“I doubt that will be his biggest concern”, Nightmare said sadly.

Dream opened his eyes to bright lights and a slight headache. He looked around. A strange room, there wasn't anything in it beside a table and the bed he had awoken in. This wasn't in the castle, that much was clear.  
He tried to think of the last thing he remembered.  
_I was in the city with Ink_ , he remembered. _I played with a cat in that alleyway, then everything went dark.  
No, was I strangled? I couldn't breath..._  
As he tried to turn around in the bed he noticed a stinging feeling on his wrists. It was only then that he realised the ropes around his arms. He was tied to the bedpost.  
Dream sat up on the bed. Kidnapped. He never in his life imagined something like this to happen. He may be a prince but he would refuse to play the damsel in distress.  
Well whoever kidnapped him had made a mistake, because now Dream was angry.  
He didn't have to wait long to find out who was behind it all. A man entered the room. Looking at Dream, he smiled.  
“So, you're finally awake.”  
“You”, Dream growled, recognizing the guy from the wedding. “Got nothing better to do, so you're kidnapping people on the street? That's a sick hobby and I hope you know that.”  
“Oh, so you remember me?”, he cooed. “And don't worry, you're the lucky first one to be invited over.”  
Dream stood up from the bed. The last thing he needed right now was to feel small. But even if he stood, the guy was still taller than Dream was. And the ropes restricting his movements weren't helping. He could only get far enough to stand next to the bed.  
“What gave me that honour?”, Dream spat out, determined to stand his ground. He would not go down so easily.  
“Call it personal interest”, the guy walked closer towards him. “Or maybe because you are an easy target.”  
_Easy target, my ass!_ , Dream thought.  
“And you think no one will look for me?”  
“Why should they?”, the guy asked. And how dare he have the audacity to sound like he meant it. “You are only a servant after all.”  
_Oh_ , Dream realised, _so that's what this is about._  
Couldn't the people finally stop to hunt down Nightmare to satisfy their own desires? What made them believe Nightmare only existed for their amusement? Dream got angry. Nightmare didn't deserve this. Maybe it was better this way, this time Dream could stand up for him.  
“Sorry”, Dream laughed. “But if you wanted someone nobody will look for you got the wrong servant, pervert!”  
“What did you call me?” Yeah, okay, maybe he went a little too far, calling the guy a pervert. No use regretting it now, though. He walked towards Dream. “You are nothing but a worthless piece of shit, you little...You shall get to know your place!”  
“Don't touch me!”, Dream screamed as he kicked the guy, hard. His mistake for not tying down Dream's legs.  
The guy stumbled backwards until he reached the table. Then he drew a small box out of his pocket. He opened it and threw two pills into a glass of water. Wait, a glass of water? Had it been there before? Dream didn't notice. Maybe the guy brought it in? Whatever the pills were, they weren't good. Dream couldn't reach the table so all he could do was buy some time before the guy did stars know what with the glass.  
“Two pills in a glass of water, huh? That's your fancy trick now?”  
“You will learn to watch your sorry mouth pretty soon. Now be a good boy and sit down on the bed.”  
“Not in your dreams!”, Dream protested.  
“Don't make this harder than it has to be”, the guy said and walked towards Dream, the glass in his hand.  
This would be Dream's chance to get rid of the glass, if he could only...  
How?  
How was this guy so close to him that fast? He had his hand around Dream's throat in seconds, forced Dream to his knees. Dream struggled for all it was worth as the guy forced his mouth open, forced the liquid in. Dream felt tears rise to his eyes. This was awful, he needed it to stop.  
Ignoring the pain in his wrists he pushed the guy away with his arms, knocked the glass to the floor by kicking it out of his hands and proceeded to lay down on the floor. Retching and heaving and trying to get as much of the liquid out of his system as he could.  
The guy recovered too fast for Dream's liking.  
“Keep it in, will you”, he demanded, picking Dream up from the floor and shoving a piece of cloth into his mouth. Then he shoved Dream on to the bed and tightened the ropes around his wrists enough for Dream to be unable to reach to his mouth to remove the cloth. He couldn't stand up from the bed anymore. But he still had his-  
“I'm not stupid”, the guy smiled, pulling more ropes out from under the bed. He walked around to the other end of the bed, out of range of Dream's legs yet close enough to tie them to the bedpost. He spread Dream's legs as far apart as he could, then tied them to the bedpost.  
_This is it then..._ , Dream thought.  
He could only hope that what was left of the drug would make this easier to bear.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And I'm kinda sorry to end the chapter like this and then tell you all that  
> yeah, I don't know if the next chapter will be on time with out update schedule because my beta got less time recently due to personal reasons, but I really need them to beta the next part for many reasons (like plotholes and grammar, you know the deal).  
> I am sorry in advance!
> 
> Other than that: Kudos, comments and critique are welcome and I hope you all have a nice day!


	17. Chapter 16: To the rescue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Continuing from where we left last chapter!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry, I know it's late!  
> And I don't know when I'll be able to post the next chapter either. I'm already half way through writing it, but I already know, editing will give me hell this time.

Nightmare didn't know how long it took them to arrive at the mansion they were headed for. The whole time he was busy trying to keep his emotions to himself - he sat in a carriage with the king after all. And he couldn't let him know he wasn't Dream, so he couldn't just break down now.  
He tried to look anywhere, look over at Cross, take a peak outside. A road, grass, trees, no sign of their destination yet. This didn't help.  
He felt Cross take his trembling fingers into a reassuring grip and looked back at him. Cross gave him a small smile and tugged him closer.  
“It'll be alright”, Cross whispered.  
And, with his hands in Cross' and his head resting on his shoulder he could at least relax a little, even if he wasn't sure he could believe everything would turn out okay. Not yet, at least.

It felt like an eternity, but they finally arrived.  
Nightmare was thankful Cross helped him get out of the carriage, his whole body trembling.  
They walked up to the mansion, a big building with a lot of fancy decoration. It seemed to Nightmare, that the nobles struggling with money always had the most fancy of residences. As if to hide the fact that they couldn't afford small things they had to built even bigger, even less affordable. It was the impression one had when looking at the outside that mattered the most anyway, like an unwritten rule of nobility.  
The king, surrounded by his two guards walked to the big doors of the mansion, Cross and Nightmare following close behind. He knocked.  
Only seconds later they were greeted by a female servant opening the doors for them.  
“Your majesty, to what do we owe the honour?”, she asked as she bowed.  
“I need to talk to your master, is he available right now?”, the king asked as the five of them entered the hall.  
“He seemed busy the last time I saw him”, she answered. “But I can lead you to our guest room. You could have some tea and pastries while you wait.”  
The king looked back at Cross and Nightmare, who was trying his best to not show just how _nervous_ and _anxious_ he was.  
“I am sorry, but our cause is urgent”, the king pressed. “We need to talk to him right now. Do you know where we can find him?”  
“The last time I saw him he went to the lower floor. I can still show you to the guest room and get him to join you l-”  
“We will go to the lower floor to meet him”, the king interrupted her. “Please lead the way.”  
No matter how kind the king talked, anyone knew when not to ask questions. So the servant just nodded and lead them to a door, down a few stairs and through another door.  
“I am not sure in which room he is right now”, she told them. “He recently told us to not follow him down here.”  
They walked along the hallway, the servant checking every door along the way. Suddenly Nightmare stopped.  
“Hey, what's wrong?”, Cross asked him.  
“Did you.. hear that?”, Nightmare asked.  
“Hear what? I don't think I-”  
“It's him”, Nightmare whispered. “It has to be.” And then he just ran off, into the direction of a sound only he heard.  
“Hey, wait!”, Cross screamed as he ran after Nightmare.  
“I think we found him”, the king said calmly, following the two boys.

Nightmare's legs moved on their own. He couldn't even comprehend what was happening but something inside of him told him he knew the right door.  
Just a few more steps, he was so close..  
The door wasn't locked, he slammed it open.  
The first thing he saw was his brother, tied to a bed, tears in his eyes. And a man, kneeling over him.  
“Get off him!”, Nightmare screamed and in a blast of purple magic the man crashed into the closest wall. Barely missing Cross, who arrived just in time to witness what happened.  
“Dream!”, Nightmare ran over to the bed, tears in his own eyes. The first thing he removed was the cloth that got forced into Dream's mouth.  
Finally able to speak again, the only thing Dream managed to say was: “Night, you.. you're here.”  
“I'll always be there for you”, Nightmare whispered while he untied Dream's arms.  
With his arms free, Dream rubbed at his sore wrists while Nightmare tried to get his legs free as well.  
Just in time, the king and his guards arrived. Cross pointed them to the man who was still lying on the ground near the wall.  
“We are taking him into custody”, the king told his guards, who immediately handcuffed the man. Then he turned to Cross. “Since you arrived here a little earlier, mind giving me a small explanation of what was going on?”  
“Nightmare was tied to that bed and the guy was kneeling over him”, Cross answered. “Looked like a bad attempt at rape to me.”  
The king nodded.  
As Nightmare was done untying Dream he tried to help him sit up. Dream hugged him weakly and laid his head down on Nightmare's shoulder.  
“Are you okay?”, Nightmare asked.  
“I'm honestly not sure”, Dream whispered weakly. “He made me drink some kind of drug. I have no idea what it was, but I feel really weak now. And nauseous.”  
“I get it you won't be able to stand for a while?”, Cross asked, having overheard their conversation.  
“I don't think so. I doubt drugs on an empty stomach are the best thing to have for breakfast”, Dream laughed in a weak attempt of a joke.  
“Get him a glass of water and a bucket”, the king ordered the servant that lead them down here.  
“Yes, your majesty”, she answered and disappeared out of the room again.  
“Mind telling us what you gave him?”, the king turned to the man that was currently held by both of his guards. “It might help me to decide, what to do with you.”  
“I bought it from an alchemist in town”, he stuttered, suddenly seeming way smaller than he was minutes ago. “Two pills, one to calm someone, one to make them feel better, she said. Told me I'd get a discount if I didn't ask further. She wanted me to tell her how effective it was after I tried them.”  
“Are you telling me you were just using him as your test subject?”, Nightmare asked angrily. “You could have killed him!”  
Feeling Dream's hand on his cheek, turning his head back to look at him brought Nightmare out of his thoughts.  
“I'm okay, see”, he whispered. “I'm still alive, no need to worry about me.”  
The servant came back with the water and the bucket. Dream gladly accepted the glass and drank, slowly as Nightmare told him.  
“What is the plan now, father?”, Cross asked.  
“We will leave as soon as Nightmare manages to get out of the bed.”  
“And what about him?”, Cross pointed to the man still held by the guards.  
“Once we are back at the castle the royal court will take care of him”, the king answered.  
Dream handed the glass back to the servant once he finished, then turned back to Nightmare. “Let me try to stand up?”  
“Are you sure? You don't look too good to me.”  
“The sooner we get back, the better”, Dream smiled. “Maybe all I need is something to eat and a lot of sleep.”  
“Alright”, Nightmare gave in and took a few steps back to give Dream room to stand up, but still close enough to catch him, should he be unable to stand on his own.  
Dream used the bed to stabilize himself, but once he stood he immediately fell to his knees. Nightmare managed to fetch the bucket from the servant just in time to hand it to Dream.  
Dream vomited mainly water, but it seemed to help get the drug out of his system. Once he was done he looked up at Nightmare. “You'd be surprised to hear that I feel better already. I think I might even be able to walk if you support me.”  
Nightmare just nodded and helped him stand up. Once Dream positioned himself on Nightmare's shoulder in a way that would allow them to walk properly, the servant gave him a cloth to wipe his mouth with.  
“I assume we are ready to leave now?”, the king asked, already turning towards the door.  
“We are”, Nightmare answered and slowly helped Dream towards the door. Cross supported Dreams other arm once they made it into the hallway and slowly but surely they got to the carriage.  
“I should have expected you came by carriage”, Dream laughed slightly.  
“Well...”, Nightmare wasn't sure what to say.  
“Sorry, but I doubt my father knows about your... little problem regarding this way of travelling.”, Cross laughed.  
“Well, this will be a ride.”

To everyone's surprise the ride back to the castle was relatively quiet. Dream fell asleep on Nightmare's shoulder almost immediately so his motion-sickness was no big deal at all.  
Once they arrived back at the castle it was far past lunch time. After Nightmare woke Dream, Cross helped both of the twins out of the carriage. Dream could almost stand on his own again.  
The king told the guards off and walked over to them.  
“So, Nightmare, how do you feel?”, he asked.  
“Oh, after having a little rest in the carriage, I actually feel a lot better already”, Dream answered truthfully.  
“Very well”, the king nodded. “Considering the time and the fact that all of us skipped at least one meal today, I would suggest we have an early dinner. And to make sure you get back to health again, you will eat with us today, Nightmare.”  
“Wha- are you sure, your majesty?”, Dream asked surprised, struggling to keep in his role.  
“That wasn't a question”, Cross smiled as he put a hand on Dream's shoulder. “Let's go back in to the castle.”  
“Very well”, the king agreed. “You can already arrange yourself in the dining hall, I will talk to the servants first, then join you.”  
And just like that, he went off. Nightmare and Cross helped Dream to walk to the dining hall, then sat him down next to Nightmare.  
“Are you okay?”, Nightmare asked after he sat down himself.  
“I'm fine”, Dream laughed slightly. “You worry to much!”  
“I keep telling him that, too”, Cross mused.  
“Well, I've got every right to worry!”, Nightmare pouted.  
“Yeah, you do”, Dream smiled. “Now, let's see if we can have dinner together without confusing each other's identities, shall we?”  
“This will be hell”, Nightmare sighed.  
A few minutes later the king joined them, then the servants brought the food in.  
“You three should take it easy for the rest of the evening”, the king told them.  
“We should go to Ink first, to tell him we managed to find Nightmare, anyway”, Nightmare said. “No use making him worry over nothing.”  
“We could all go to the music room together afterwards”, Cross suggested. “A little music is always relaxing and you two can play instruments as well, right?”  
“Oh, yeah, we do”, Dream answered happily.  
“Then that's settled”, Cross smiled.  
After that, they all continued dinner in relative silence.

Cross knocked on Ink's door.  
“Uh, yes?”, came Ink's irritated voice from inside. “Come in, I guess?”  
Cross opened the door and the three of them entered.  
Ink was standing in front of a canvas, brush in one hand and a slice of bread in the other. He occasionally nibbled on the bread while frequently dragging his brush across the canvas. He looked up to see who entered.  
“D-Dream?”, Ink dropped the brush and bread simultaneously as tears rose to his eyes and he ran towards Dream, engulfing the smaller one in a bone crushing hug. “You.. I... I...”  
“I'm glad to see you too, Ink”, Dream said softly, wrapping his arms around his boyfriend.  
“I thought I'd lost you, I really thought...”, Ink stammered. “We were just getting doughnuts and then you were gone and I thought... and it was all my fault, because you couldn't know the city was dangerous, and...”  
“Hey, Ink”, Dream tried to calm him. “It's alright, I'm here. Nothing happened, see? None of this was your fault, okay?”  
“What actually happened?”, Ink asked. “I know a noble dragged you off to his carriage and then these two went to the king and started this crazy rescue mission.”  
“Oh, uuuh, you see...”, now it was Dream's turn too search for words. “It was all just a big misunderstanding, you know?”  
“Are you lying to me?”, Ink let go of Dream to look him in the eyes.  
“Well, not really”, Dream answered, looking down. “He wanted to rape Nightmare, not me. He just mistook me for him because of the clothes. But, he didn't get to do anything, because Nighty saved me just in time! So there really is no need for you to worry! I'm fine.”  
“Someone attempted to rape you and you just shrug it off like 'nothing happened'?! Dream, what the actua-”  
Dream pressed a kiss to Ink's mouth to silence him. He didn't need to hear Ink's outburst or his lectures about how he should react. He just wanted to forget what happened today. He was happy to be back, happy to see Ink. That was enough for him.  
But still, the tears just rolled down his cheeks. He felt too much, all at the same time. Dream wasn't even sure what exactly he wanted to convey with this kiss, but it seemed like he got his message across because after they parted Ink didn't question any further.  
“When you're done with your reunion, I would suggest to pick up the brush and the bread”, Nightmare told them. He and Cross had decided to sit down on Ink's bed. “Some paint stains can get really hard to deal with once they are dried up and I don't know if artists have paint for dinner, but if they don't you should save that bread before it gets drowned.”  
“Aaaw, come on Night”, Ink whined. “We were having a moment!”  
“Actually, what happened to the doughnuts?”, Dream asked all of a sudden.  
“What... happened to the doughnuts?”, Ink asked perplexed, while he picked up the things he dropped earlier. “That's a good question. But I can't seem to remember?”  
“Well, fine”, Dream pouted. “Then we'll just have to get some another day. For now”, he turned to Cross and Nightmare, “music room?”  
“Music room?”, Ink asked confused.  
“We decided to end the day on a calmer note, and what better way to calm down than to enjoy some music together”, Cross answered. “The twins said they are able to play an instrument and I know a thing or two as well, so even if you can't play any instrument, you can just tag along and listen.”  
“Weeell”, Ink smirked. “I used to play the _cross_ flute for a while before I settled as an artist.”  
Dream audibly facepalmed. “He didn't just...”  
Cross was basically laying on the floor, laughing with tears in his eyes. “I should be used to puns with my name by now”, he laughed, “but something about the way you said that, just...I just can't...”  
Nightmare did his best to pick his boyfriend from the floor and once he managed they all went to the music room.

Once they entered the room Dream headed straight for the piano. “Piano's mine”, he chimed.  
“Fine by me”, Nightmare smiled as he followed Cross and Ink to the side.  
A bunch of different instruments were lined up on tables or hung on the walls.  
“You really have a lot of instruments here”, Nightmare said while he watched Cross walk straight towards a guitar. “And that's yours then?”  
“When I'm not reading I tend to play the guitar just for myself every now and then”, he answered.  
By now Ink had found a cross flute and Nightmare picked up a violin. He played one note and flinched.  
“Aside from your guitar”, Nightmare started. “Do any of these instruments get used, like... ever?”  
“Haven't seen them in use since they were brought in here”, Cross shrugged.  
“Yeah, that's what it sounds like to me”, Nightmare agreed. “Heavily out of tune. Dream, I need a C.”  
Dream played the note Nightmare asked for and Nightmare tried his best to correct the first string he was working on.  
“Oh, Night?”, Cross asked, all of a sudden remembering something.  
“Hmm, what is it?”, Nightmare asked, still focusing on the instrument in his hands.  
“I had no idea you could use gravity magic”, Cross said.  
“Gravity magic?”, Nightmare seemed surprised. “I don't remember being able to-”  
“But, you used it on the guy that wanted to rape Dream earlier today”, Cross told him.  
“I... did?”, Nightmare asked, lost.  
“Yes? Don't tell me you didn't even notice!”  
Nightmare put the violin down and tried to focus his magic. First his eyes and a moment later his hand started glowing in purple magic. Shocked, Nightmare stumbled a few steps backwards.  
“H-how..”, he looked at Cross, who stared back at him. Nightmare quickly let his magic disappear again. “Do you think anyone else saw it?”  
“I doubt it”, Cross shrugged. “You barely had it active for a second.”  
“I had no idea you had such a high magic potential”, Dream joined the conversation. “Mine is just enough for healing!”  
“My healing potential is extremely low”, Nightmare admitted. “But it seems my attack magic is pretty strong. Maybe that's why no one wanted to see me as the prince. I could end up being dangerous if I don't even realise I'm using my magic.”  
“I think that was just your normal reaction to seeing Dream in danger”, Cross reassured him. “You would never purposefully hurt someone! I'm barely able to use attack magic myself, but I would love to see what you can do with it!”  
“I'm not sure I want to train my magic”, Nightmare said shakily.  
“You don't have to!”, Dream told him. “If you don't want to, we won't force you.”  
“You're right”, Cross said. “I can understand it, if you don't want to. We should probably get back to the reason we came here to begin with.”  
“Oh, right”, Nightmare picked up the violin again. “Dream, play that note again?”  
And just like that they dropped the discussion. No use in making Nightmare uncomfortable over his own magic.  
After that, Nightmare spend a good fifteen minutes just trying to tune the violin, Dream having to constantly play single notes on the piano. Cross could barely stop himself from laughing at how displeased Nightmare looked every time he strung a new chord.  
“Okay, that should do”, Nightmare sighed, finally satisfied with the sound of his instrument. “Now, let's actually play some music!”

That evening, they realised a lot of things about each other.  
Nightmare was a god on the violin.  
Dream had the voice of an angel and still managed to play the piano while singing.  
Ink's flute playing was pretty decent for someone who earned his money by painting.  
And Cross was as good on the guitar as one would expect from a prince with years of experience.  
But the most important thing they learned was that music really got them together like nothing else did before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, that's how that went xD  
> My beta pretty clearly told me, no one should get raped in this fic! And even though I love teasing them, I wanted this scenario to stay sfw!  
> Hope you all enjoyed it?  
> Comments are much appreciated!


	18. Chapter 17: [NSFW] The damage done

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Uuuhm, another drink smut chapter, because my beta and I decided it would fit?
> 
> (Yes, the whole chapter is NSFW and does nothing for the plot, feel free to skip)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, real quick! I know I've been gone for a few and this update is super late! I am not dead!  
> I did participate in the inkshipsweek event (all seven days are uploaded to here under that name), so I postponed this update a little. Then there were a few things going on at my beta's, so she had to take some time to herself before reading over the chapters... but hey, she managed!  
> And, well, now there's my birthday this weekend, so she actually came over! And then I'm actually on vacation for the week after... and I'm not sure when the next update will be, BUT  
> A smut chapter and a normal chapter it is for now! Hope you enjoy!

After their time spend in the music room, all of them went back to their own rooms. Nightmare had gone to bed some time ago and Dream assumed the same went for Cross. He himself tried to, he really did, but his mind was running wild and so it happened, that he found himself in front of the door to Ink's room.  
Without any further thought, he knocked.  
“Come in”, the artist answered, still awake as well.  
Dream already regretted knocking, his stomach turning while he questioned his motives, but the artist allowed him in, so there was no backing out anymore. He reluctantly opened the door and stepped through, closing it behind himself.  
“Dream?”, Ink asked, “What are you doing still awake at this hour?” The artist looked like he was getting ready for bed, sketchbook and other art supplies set aside already.  
“There was something I.. wanted to.. I don't know, it sounds so stupid.. I-”  
“Come over and we'll talk”, Ink said, offering a chair to Dream. “At your own pace. Don't worry about it being stupid; if it's coming from you, I doubt it will be.”  
Dream walked over, sat down on the chair next to Ink. He was fidgeting with the hems of his tunic, not looking at Ink when he finally spoke: “I- it's.. you know.. about what ..happened.. today, I-”  
Dream took a shaky breath and Ink waited for him to continue, knowing that Dream had to figure out what to say first and without Ink interrupting him.  
“That guy.. he didn't even get around to.. do.. a lot before Night came in and saved me”, Dream started talking again. “And.. I tried, tried to just forget what happened, to smile like I always do, but..”, Dream chuckled, but it lacked his usual cheerfulness. “I can still _feel_ his hands on me, Ink, and it doesn't feel good. And you know what's the worst?”  
Dream finally looked up, meeting Ink's eyes.  
“What is it?”, Ink asked. “You know, I'll always be here for you, if you need me.”  
“I was.. almost raped, and yet”, Dream closed his eyes, his hands stopping their motion on his tunic, “and yet, all I can think about is how I want you to reclaim me, make me yours just like we did back in the park. I want all the memories of his hands to be overwritten by your hands, your mouth, _with you! I want you to take me, all of me, for as long as we can!_ ”, tears were streaming down Dream's face as he opened his eyes again. “It's weird, isn't it? I shouldn't feel this way, should I? I shouldn't just ask something like that of you.”  
“Dream”, Ink breathed, a little startled by Dream's sudden burst of emotions. “You don't have to feel bad for anything, I told you I am here for you and I will gladly listen to you ramble about all your problems! But..”, with a grin, Ink stood up from his chair and picked Dream up bridal style, “if you wanted sex, you could've just said so from the beginning!”  
“Ink, wha-”, Dream started to protest, but was silenced by Ink's mouth on his. Their tongues quickly found each other while Ink carried Dream over to the bed. He gently placed him down, his mouth never leaving Dream's, and began undressing the other. Once the tunic was off, Ink started placing kisses on Dream's ribs, desperately trying to touch him everywhere, to fulfil Dream's request.  
“Haa, Ink!”, Dream sighed in pleasure, gently trying to get his hands under Ink's shirt. He wanted to feel him, too, wanted to be complete again; and there was no way that would work if Ink's mouth and hands on him were the only connection between them. Another sigh escaped him as he finally managed to slip his hands under Ink's shirt, phalanges frantically running over the others ribs.  
Dream was so caught up in their little game of touch, he barely noticed how Ink's hands kept moving downwards even though his mouth stayed on his ribcage. It almost shocked him as he felt two fingers press in between his legs. And just as sudden, his magic just decided to take form.  
“Well, someone is eager”, Ink hummed seductively.  
All Dream could get out was a moan as the fingers kept pressing into his newly formed flesh, all while his pants were still on.  
Ink's fingers kept going at their newfound spot while he let his tongue slowly drift lower as well. Dream subconsciously rocked forward onto the fingers, his body wanting more of the pleasuring friction right there and he tightened his grip on Ink's back.  
“Stop teasing”, Dream whined. “Or, at least get me out of the pants before I ruin them!”  
Ink chuckled. “Okay, fine, we'll get rid of your pants”, he smiled mischievously, “But don't think I'm done teasing.”  
Dream sighed and let his hands fall down next to him. Ink was right, he was far from done with teasing Dream and so he removed his own shirt before he started playing with the hem of Dreams pants.  
“Ink, please!”, Dream whined, near desperate as he moved his hips, trying to somehow get rid of the pants like that if Ink wouldn't comply.  
“You know you have hands, right?”, Ink laughed as he finally pulled Dream's pants down.  
Yes, Dream was fully aware of his hands, but they were busy messing up the pillow they were tangled in, in a desperate attempt to control the pleasure he felt.  
Dream had to grip the pillow harder as soon as Ink's hands were back on his femurs and his tongue slowly but surely made it's way to his entrance. But then it stopped there, moving around the hole in Dream's yellow magic in a circling motion, but never entering. Dream was whimpering and moaning at the pleasure he felt, but it wasn't enough.  
Any coherent thought was lost and Dream was left moaning everything and nothing at once as Ink finally pushed his tongue into him and started exploring his insides. Ink's tongue moved like he knew exactly where to go, while his hands caressed all the right places. Every now and then Dream could feel a finger entering him next to Ink's tongue, spreading him just a little more, sending jolts of pleasure through his whole body.  
Dream felt the heat of his magic building up faster than he would like and his shaking hands slowly made their way down towards Ink's head, with the intention to pull him away. But Ink obviously had other plans and refused to move.  
“Ink, please, stop it”, Dream moaned. “I'm close already, stop i-aaaah!”  
All previous intentions forgotten, Dream pushed Ink's face closer to his body as he came undone, his magic pooling between them. It left a golden hue on Ink's mouth as he finally pulled away after Dream's hands limply fell to his sides again.  
“Kinda hard to move away if you're just pressing me closer”, Ink laughed as he visibly licked Dream's glowing magic off his face with his tongue.  
“You're such a tease”, Dream whined, still breathing heavy as he slowly sat up.  
“Well, did you at least enjoy yourself?”, Ink asked.  
“Oh, I did”, Dream smiled. “And I'm not nearly done yet. Don't think you're the only one who gets to have fun tonight.” Dream's eyes, still dull from his recent high, suddenly shone with a lust that made Ink shudder. In one swift motion Dream had him knocked over backwards, both now facing towards the footboard of the bed. And just like that he made Ink regret leaving his own pants on, gripping his erect magic through them.  
“Dream”, Ink moaned. “Have mercy!”  
“Sorry, Ink”, Dream smiled, “but you didn't listen to me either, remember?”  
Ink had it coming for him, he already knew that when he started teasing Dream, and from watching him, he knew his boyfriend enjoyed being in control, but he was so ready for it.  
Dream was palming him through his pants and painfully slowly kissing his way up Ink's ribcage until he reached his mouth. Their mouths already parted the moment they met, allowing their tongues to intertwine in a passionate dance. All the while, Dream casually slipped his hand under Ink's pants, now stroking his full, erect length without the fabric blocking the sensation.  
Dream started to question how Ink managed to hold up the patience to tease him as long as he did, because he himself was slowly loosing it already, his entrance readily hovering just a little over Ink's perfectly erect member, only a pair of pants separating them at this point.  
The moment Ink started moaning, Dream broke the kiss and pulled down Ink's pants, just far enough for his glowing rainbow magic to come out.  
Dream, finally growing impatient, held Ink's member in place while he slowly lowered himself onto it. He was still loose enough for it to move all the way in without problems and only seconds later, Dream was sitting flat on Ink, connected at their middles.  
Dream didn't wait for Ink to say anything before he started moving his hips up and down on his own. It may have been sloppy, the pace a little off at some point, but Ink couldn't care less. Because like this, he had the perfect view of his lover and, damn.. “You're beautiful.”  
“Ah.. huh?”, Dream huffed, looking at Ink, the question visibly in his eyes. The moment he realised what Ink said, he blushed in a yellow, so bright that even the sun looked dull next to it. “S-say- ah! Say that again!”, he moaned.  
“You're beautiful, Dream”, Ink told him. “Just the way you are. So, just know that I love you with all my soul, alright?”  
“Hmmm”, Dream hummed. “I love you too.”  
Smiling, Ink finally grabbed Dream's hips, thrusting back into every one of Dream's movements, stabilizing their motion a little. At least, until they became sloppy again, both of them getting close to their limits.  
“Dream, I-”, Ink moaned.  
“M-me too, Ink”, Dream panted.  
Ink thrusted into Dream hard one last time, connecting them closer than any of them thought possible and with a loud cry from Dream both of them found release.  
Still panting, Dream collapsed next to Ink, their magic disappearing again.  
Ink kicked his – now messy – pants down the bed and pulled the covers over both of them. They muttered silent “I love you”'s before both of them were fast asleep, still laying the wrong way around in bed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments (and critique) are still highly appreciated!  
> (I still am a baby to writing NSFW after all)


	19. Chapter 18: Taking a break

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In this chapter I present you.. a bunch of idiots taking a day off.
> 
> (Just as I told my beta: Not completely happy with this, but done fussing over it!)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> (Actually writing this here too, for those who skipped the NSFW chapter)
> 
> Also, real quick! I know I've been gone for a few and this update is super late! I am not dead!  
> I did participate in the inkshipsweek event (all seven days are uploaded to here under that name), so I postponed this update a little. Then there were a few things going on at my beta's, so she had to take some time to herself before reading over the chapters... but hey, she managed!  
> And, well, now there's my birthday this weekend, so she actually came over! And then I'm actually on vacation for the week after... and I'm not sure when the next update will be, BUT  
> A smut chapter and a normal chapter it is for now! Hope you enjoy!

“Cross, can I talk to you for a moment?”, the king asked, entering Cross' room unannounced.  
“Father?”, Cross looked up from the book he was reading, fully dressed already. “Sure, what is it?”  
“How are they doing today?”  
“Who is doing how today?”, Cross asked confused.  
“Dream and Nightmare”, the king said, “After what went on yesterday, I was wondering.”  
Cross thought for a moment, as to not confuse the names of the twins, then answered: “Nightmare played it down, but I think the whole thing left it's mark on him. And Dream just seemed generally worried about his servant, though happy to have him back unscathed.”  
“And the artist?”, the king asked again.  
“Probably blaming himself”, Cross shook his head. “He seems to be taking it a lot harder than I expected.”  
“Maybe all four of you should use this day to get outside of the castle, maybe have a picnic?”, the king suggested.  
“Well, they certainly seem in need of a break”, Cross mumbled. “But where to?”  
“You could take the horses and ride through the old forest, a slight change of scenery for everyone.”  
“That sounds nice”, Cross smiled. “I'll talk about it with the others after breakfast.”  
“I'll let the servants prepare some food and saddle the horses then”, the king said before walking to the door to leave again.

“Ooh, that looks great, Ink!”, Dream said. He sat on the floor, watching as Ink brought his sketch of the garden to the canvas.  
“I'm still only drawing outlines”, Ink laughed, trying to focus.  
“Well, watching you draw _anything_ is just amazing”, Dream told him, mindlessly eating the remainders of his breakfast.  
Then, they heard a knock on the door.  
“Come in”, Dream answered happily. At Ink's confused look he added: “I know the way Night knocks by heart by now.”  
And he was right. The door opened and Nightmare and Cross entered.  
“Thought you'd be here”, Nightmare smiled.  
“Now, what are you up to?”, Cross asked.  
“Well, you two just clearly interrupted my amazing art session”, Dream said.  
“Is it just my imagination or is Dream enjoying himself way more since he stopped being the prince?”, Cross looked at Nightmare.  
“He never liked the fact that he was born as the prince”, Nightmare stated.  
“I doubt there is anyone who enjoys the role they were born into”, Ink said, looking up from his canvas. “Now, you certainly didn't come here just to talk?”  
“My father visited me in my room this morning, so Night doesn't know anything about his luck either”, Cross explained with a smile. “So, he basically told me we would all get a day off today, to go have a nice picnic in the forest behind the castle. It's a really nice patch of greenery we bought from a noble some time ago.”  
“You just own a whole goddamn forest?!”, Ink couldn't believe it.  
“Like I said, it used to belong to a different noble, I believe they held some sort of parties and celebrations there, but... I think they had money problems and sold it to us? That's just how it works around here, we get a lot of things from nobles with money issues.”  
“But, I like the idea”, Dream said. “Exploring a forest sounds like fun! And doesn't a picnic with the four of us just sound like the greatest thing ever?”  
“Then it's settled”, Cross announced. “So, do you still need to prepare...?”  
“I'd like to finish sketching this”, Ink said, turning back to his canvas.  
“Ugh, how long..?”, Cross asked, uncertain.  
“Don't worry, he's basically done!”, Dream chimed.  
“Should I pack anything?”, Nightmare asked. “Spare clothes, the whole first aid kit maybe?”  
“Night!”, Dream pouted, “I'm not a kid!”  
“You keep getting into trouble like one, though”, Nightmare told him.  
“Wha-”, Dream wanted to say something, then remembered that Nightmare never was at fault for the trouble he got into. “You're right”, he said, looking down. “Sorry, I never meant to make you worry this much.”  
“I- it's not..”, Nightmare didn't like seeing Dream sad. “Ugh, forget it. I don't mind taking care of you. It's been the light of my life for twenty years now.”  
Dream stood up and walked towards Nightmare. “It's okay”, he said while hugging his brother.  
“Is that what it's like to have a brother?”, Ink asked, looking at the two of them.  
“I don't think they are your ordinary brothers”, Cross shook his head.  
“Well, I'm done now”, Ink shrugged and walked over to his table to grab a bag, in which he stored his sketchbook and some other art supplies.  
“Are we done too?”, Dream asked, looking at his brother.  
“Yeah, let's go down to the stables”, Nightmare nodded. “I'll check the horses for supplies and just hope that we won't need the first aid kit or a change of clothes.”

“So, what do we have?”, Cross asked.  
“Well, it's packed for a picnic”, Nightmare answered. “We got food for four people, a huge blanket to sit on, water.. I'm sure we'll be back before dinner, so this will do perfectly fine.”  
“So, we're good to go then?”, Cross asked while he got into his saddle.  
Nightmare just nodded, getting onto his horse and Dream said: “We're good, lead the way Cross!”  
And so they started their ride towards the forest. Nightmare rode next to Cross, leading the way, while Ink and Dream just fell in line behind them. They were going slow, they had the whole day after all so there was no need to rush this.  
“You know”, Dream said after a while. “I really like the scenery in your kingdom.”  
“You think so?”, Cross asked surprised.  
“It's just beautiful, seeing these wide plains surrounded by hills and the rivers just freely running through the landscape...”, Dream smiled.  
“I never saw it as something special”, Cross admitted. “What's your kingdom like that makes this scenery so great to you?”  
“Big cities flooded by merchants”, Dream sighed. “Or a bunch of fields and vineyards as far as one can see. It's like the kingdom of extremes. Once you're out of the city it's all farmland. There's no part of our land that's unused. You probably heard of our overpopulation. We can't afford to built more cities because we need the farmland... Well, I sure hope the whole arrangement will change the situation for our people.”  
“I sure hope it does”, Cross said. “Also, I've never seen vineyards before! I would love to visit your kingdom once.”  
“I'm sure that can be arranged”, Dream smiled.  
“Well, we're here”, Cross said as he stopped his horse in front of the forests entrance.  
“The path still looks pretty good for the amount of time this was left to it's own. We should be able to continue on horseback”, Nightmare stated.  
“Woah, the trees are tall”, Dream breathed.  
“Well, it is an old forest”, Cross laughed. “Should we continue then?”  
“Yes, I'm so excited”, Dream chimed and they started riding again.  
“Amazing”, Dream smiled as soon as they entered. “It feels like we're in some kind of fairytale forest. Don't you think so too, Ink?”  
“Huh? Oh, yeah”, Ink answered, too lost in thought to really hear what Dream was saying. He couldn't help but let the artist inside of him admire the few. The way the little light that came through the leafs of the extremely tall trees drew dancing shapes on Dream's face, perfectly highlighting his eyes and that cute smile that wouldn't leave his face. If he didn't have to concentrate on riding the horse he would have immediately taken out his sketchbook to grasp this very moment. How dare his boyfriend be so beautiful?  
“Hey, were you even listening?”, Dream asked, still with a smile on his face.  
“Yeah, sure I was...”, Ink went on to ramble about how he always listened to his boyfriend.  
Nightmare and Cross tried their best to ignore the two lovebirds behind them.  
“So, what do you think?”, Cross asked with a smile.  
“It's really beautiful”, Nightmare smiled. “It's quite noticeable how old the forest is. And even though it's still obvious it was used frequently it is also nice to see how the nature already took back most of it through time”, he closed his eyes for a moment. “The birds are singing with all their heart today and even though they are the only animals we hear, I'm sure we will be able to see a lot more if we focus. This forest feels so alive! And all the little flowers on the edge of the path just add to it.”  
“You really are a completely different person when you're surrounded by nature, you know that”, Cross laughed.  
“I certainly hope that was meant as a compliment?”, Nightmare tilted his head in the cutest way possible.  
“O-of course it was!”, Cross exclaimed, a blush on his face.  
At that, Nightmare blushed as well. And he laughed, he genuinely laughed and Cross believed himself the happiest person alive. And-  
“No way, you didn't!”, Dream's loud laughter ripped both of them out of their thoughts.  
“Well, no one stopped me and you know I always got the best ideas, right?”, Ink asked sheepishly.  
“Stars, Ink”, Dream could barely talk trough his laughter. “Please tell me this is a joke.”  
“What has he done now?”, Nightmare asked, already smiling because his brother was happy.  
“Ink.. just.. he... haha, I can't”, Dream tried to talk, but barely managed anything coherent between fits of laughter.  
So Ink just played a note on the cross flute he brought with him. Nightmare facepalmed and Cross just burst into laughter with Dream.  
“He brought the flute!”, Cross laughed. “He actually brought the flute!”  
“Now, let's attract some fairies, right Dream!”, Ink smiled mischievously and started playing a quirky tune.  
“Can someone pinch me, I'm living a dream!”, Dream laughed.  
“You _are_ Dream”, Ink interrupted his flute playing to make the worst pun he could think of.  
“And here I thought the cross flute was the worst pun he could bring today”, Cross laughed.  
“I'm telling you, that's not the last we've heard of his- oh, look up ahead!”, Dream chimed and pointed to a bridge that would be their way over a wide river ahead of them.  
“Oh, are you thinking what I'm thinking?”, Ink asked, looking at Dream.  
“Definitely yes, Cross we gotta take a break here!”, Dream smiled.  
“I don't see why not”, Cross shrugged, knowing exactly what the other two were onto.  
“It would be a nice place for the horses”, Nightmare added, completely oblivious.  
Once they arrived at the river they all got off their horses and Nightmare tied them on one of the trees that was close to the water. Ink took off his bag, hanging it on one of the branches and then looked at Cross with a knowing smile.  
“You coming?”, he asked.  
Cross nodded and before Nightmare could comprehend what was happening the others ran towards the river.  
“Hey!”, Nightmare screamed and ran after them. He managed to grab Dream's wrist before he jumped in, the other two already standing knee deep in the water. “You said I wouldn't need to bring a second set of clothing!”  
“Aaww, Night”, Dream pouted. Then he took a few steps away from the river and started taking his clothes off. “Well, fine. If I get out of them they won't get wet.”  
“Wha- Dream, you can't just..!”, Nightmare started arguing.  
“Heh, just let him have some fun, Night”, Ink smiled from where he stood in the water.  
“Come one, Night! It'll be fun!”, Dream laughed as he ran towards the river, completely naked. He wanted to give Night a light pat on the shoulder, but due to the speed he ran with it turned to a shove, both of them loosing their balance and falling right into the arms of their boyfriends.  
“What the hell, Dream!”, Nightmare screamed. Cross barely caught him and he had to kneel down to do so. Now both of them kneeled in the water, their capes and tunics quickly getting soaked.  
“Uhhm, sorry?”, Dream apologized. Ink caught him before he could land face first in the water, so both of them where still relatively dry. “I didn't mean to.. ugh..”  
“You're so getting that back!”, Nightmare laughed as he stood up. He gathered as much water in his hands as he could, though most of it running through his fingers before he could do anything, and splashed both Dream and Ink with what little was left.  
“Oh, so that's how we are playing now?” Ink laughed as he let go of his boyfriend to push his hands into the water right in front of Nightmare.  
“Oh no”, Cross laughed. “Who dares get my boyfriend wet? I'm the only one with that privilege!”  
“So what are you going to do, prince?”, Ink mocked.  
“I'm calling this war!”, Cross triumphantly announced and splashed a wave of water at Ink.  
“Awe, don't make me choose sites”, Dream whined.  
“There's no choosing sites, brother”, Nightmare announced dramatically. “You started this!”  
They played in the river for a while, all of them getting completely drenched. Safe for Dream, because his clothes still lay under a tree, completely dry.  
Once they all got exhausted they sat at the river-bench, Nightmare resting his head on Cross' shoulder, Dream dangling his feet in the water and looking at the scenery around them and Ink mindlessly fishing small stones out of the water.  
“See, I told you it'd be fun!”, Dream said, looking at his brother.  
“Yeah, all our clothes are wet now and we still need to find a place to have our picnic”, Nightmare said, wringing his cloak for the umpteenth time already.  
“They'll dry again, Night!”, Cross said, hugging his boyfriend. “Now, what are you doing, Ink?”  
“Hmm?”, Ink looked up. “Oh, I'm just looking at these... small stones. Some of them have nice colours. I think I'll keep some of them.”  
He held his hand out to show what he found so far. They came in all colours, but Ink kept the ones with interesting patterns. Blue ones with purple dots, magenta coloured ones... he had quite a collection.  
“I like this one!”, Dream held up a white stone with a single black dot. “It's like an empty canvas, but there's something on it. Like an ink-stain! Hehe.”  
Cross and Ink just burst out laughing, while Nightmare whined: “Where are all these puns coming from today!”  
“Okay, I think we better find a place for our picnic before my boyfriend dies from all the bad puns today”, Cross laughed and got up, helping Nightmare stand up as well.  
“But, wait!”, Nightmare protested. “We are dripping wet, no way we-”  
“I'm sure the horses won't mind a little refreshment of dripping wet skeletons on their backs”, Cross mused. “Also, I think we'll find a place soon enough.”  
“Alright, then”, Ink stood up and stored his stones in his bag while Dream got dressed again.  
Then they got back on their horses and followed the path a little further. After a short while they arrived at a small hill with a big tree on top of it.  
“That's just the perfect place for a picnic”, Dream smiled. “It's the right amount of shade and sun! And the view is just astounding!”  
“Any objections?”, Cross asked.  
Nightmare shook his head and Ink answered: “Not from me!”  
“Then it's settled!”, Cross said.  
Once they were at the top of the hill Nightmare took care of the horses again. Then he took off the saddlebags and looked through them to find the blanket. Once he found it he gently placed it on the ground next to the tree.  
“Is it a good idea to sit down as wet as we are?”, Cross asked.  
“We could hang our clothes onto the branches of the tree to dry faster”, Ink suggested.  
“That's actually a good idea!”, Cross said. “It's still warm enough to sit without clothes and they should dry rather quick in this weather.”  
And so the boys started undressing. Nightmare took off his cape and his shoes, the his tunic. He grabbed the hem of his shirt, then stopped. He looked over at Ink, who already was completely undressed and started placing his clothes on different branches. Ink had.. tattoo like markings all over his body, all of them previously carefully hidden under his clothes. Nightmare's hands immediately flew to his chest.  
“Night?”, Cross asked, now completely undressed as well. “What's...” Cross was about to ask what was wrong, but the way Nightmare stood there he knew exactly what this was about. Cross' unfinished sentence also caught the attention of Dream, who looked over to his brother and understood the problem just as well as Cross did. The two of them locked eyes for a moment, then nodded.  
“Night?”, Dream asked. “If you're uncomfortable, we can switch clothes again.”  
“Wha- n-no, I can just leave these on, they'll dry like that as well. I'm fine”, Nightmare smiled his usual fake smile.  
“Night”, Dream pressed. “Nobody will hate you for being uncomfortable. Do you want to switch clothes with me?”  
“Y-yeah”, Nightmare admitted. “Actually, I'd like that.”  
“Good”, Dream sighed. “Cross, Ink you two can already unpack the food we got. I'll be on the other side of the tree with Night for a minute.”  
As they came back from changing clothes Ink and Cross had already set up the whole picnic. Nightmare hung the wet clothes on the branches, then sat down next to Cross. Dream cuddled up to Ink.  
“I'm... sorry about the whole drama”, Nightmare apologized.  
“Hey, don't worry about it”, Ink reassured him. “I'm not your boyfriend, you don't need to be comfortable around me. I'm already glad you accept me as your brother's lover! We all got things we'd rather not talk about and whatever yours is, I'm okay with dropping the topic right there.”  
“T-thank you”, Nightmare smiled slightly.  
“Okay and now”, Ink smiled happily, “can we start eating? This looks amazing!”  
“Heh, sure. Let's dig in!”, Cross laughed.

After they were done eating Cross lay down on the blanket, staring up at the leafs. Nightmare cuddled up to him.  
“It's nice here, isn't it?”, Cross said, hugging Nightmare closer.  
“Hmm”, Nightmare agreed, already falling asleep.  
“Are you tired?”, Cross smiled slightly.  
“Just.. a little”, Nightmare mumbled.  
Nightmare was fast asleep with Cross running his hands up and down his back. Lulled by Nightmare's even breathing, Cross also found the gentle embrace of sleep soon after his boyfriend.  
Ink stood up to fetch his sketchbook from his bag, then sat back down next to Dream.  
“Something on your mind?”, he asked.  
“Aren't they cute together?”, Dream smiled. “I'm glad my brother can finally be happy.”  
“Somehow it really feels like they are a perfect match”, Ink agreed while he started sketching something. “Though, I'm always surprised at how Nightmare manages to go from almost panic attack to complete serenity and vice versa.”  
“It seems Cross' presence is enough to help him to relax”, Dream said. “He actually got a lot better in the few weeks we've been here.” Dream shook his head. ”He's been a bundle of anxiety for long enough already.” Then Dream scooted over to Ink and looked over his shoulder. “So, what are you doing right now? -Oh.”  
“Can't pass up on this opportunity”, Ink smiled.  
“Well, they deserve a place in your sketchbook for sure”, Dream said, looking down at the half finished sketch of Cross and Nightmare in their current position. “Remember to give them clothes if you ever put this on a canvas though.”  
“Pff, yeah”, Ink giggled. “I think I remember a nice scene of them in the garden as well, might draw that later, if I don't forget. I'm not sure if they even want a painting of them though.”  
“Well, who knows?”, Dream sighed and let himself fall backwards into the grass. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the warmth of the sun on his bare bones.  
Ink finished sketching the 'princes' and, looking at Dream lying beside him, perfectly unaware, he saw his chance to get another sketch of his naked boyfriend.

As the afternoon dragged on the breeze got colder. Ink had finished drawing Dream long ago and was currently trying to sketch the picturesque scene he saw Nightmare and Cross in the day before, as Dream walked over and cuddled up to him.  
“It's getting colder”, Dream stated, resting his head on Ink's shoulder.  
“Our clothes should be dry by now”, Ink said.  
“Hmm, I think so”, Dream agreed. “Though, I don't know, whether Night wants to switch back before we return to the castle, so I'll just get my warmth from you for now.”  
“That's perfectly fine by me”, Ink smiled and turned back to his sketch.  
As an especially cold wind rustled through the leafs of the tree both Cross and Nightmare stirred awake.  
“Slept well?”, Cross asked, kissing Nightmare.  
“Yeah”, Nightmare said, leaning into the touch for a while. Then he sat up and looked at the sky. “Late afternoon”, he guessed. He stood up and stretched a little. “We should get ready to ride back.”  
“Alright, time to pick my outfit from the tree of clothing!”, Cross joked.  
Ink closed his sketchbook and both he and Dream stood up to get dressed.  
“Night?”, Dream asked.  
“Hmm?”  
“Do you want to change back? Or would you prefer to stay yourself for now?”  
For a moment Nightmare looked down at his outfit as if he had forgotten he and Dream switched, then he answered: “Is it weird to say I got used to being the prince by now?”  
“Well, you get to spend more time with Cross”, Dream laughed. “Being next to a prince should help in learning how to be a prince.” Then he picked to clothes from the tree and turned to Nightmare. “Let's get changed then!”  
They both walked behind the tree again to change their outfits back. In the meantime both Cross and Ink got dressed as well.  
Exhausted yet contend they made their way back to the castle. This was the kind of day they'd be looking back at in good memory for a long time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, the next chapter WILL be the last for this fic's main plot  
> BUT  
> I am willing to take suggestions for bonus chapters!  
> Anything you still want to read? Tell me in the comments!  
> More smut with any of the boys? Maybe you want to see Nightmare getting a little more confident in the bedroom? Or even more action with Dream and Ink? I sure can do that!  
> Or you just want some of them to spend a nice day somewhere? Give me names and a location, I can provide the rest!


	20. Chapter 19: The things left unsaid

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everything has to end eventually, right?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This update is super late, my apologies! But at least it is 6500 words, so double my normal amount this time, hah!  
> Also, I will be going to psychiatric daycare starting tomorrow and I really wanted to get this done before, and look! I managed xD  
> Hmm, hope you all enjoy this kinda round up chapter to the story!

“It was so nice and warm the whole day yesterday”, Cross whined while he and Nightmare walked down to the dining hall for breakfast. “Why did it have to get all cold and rainy today?”  
“It is slowly but surely becoming autumn”, Nightmare stated. “We will have to expect colder days from now on. The leafs should start changing colour soon as well.”  
“I don't like it.”  
“I noticed that much”, Nightmare smiled slightly.  
“I really wanted to read in the garden again!”  
“We'll just have to stay in your room then”, Nightmare told him.  
Cross sighed before going silent, the moment they entered the room with the table, his father already there.  
“Compared to your happy faces at dinner yesterday, it seems you adapted to the weather for today”, the king told them as they sat down on the table.  
“Cross is just sad because he wanted to go read in the garden today”, Nightmare said, “Even if it was only raining slightly, the books would get damaged, but this downpour is something completely different.”  
“I get it, your plans for today were destroyed by the weather then?”, the king mused. “What will you do now?”  
“Night and I will probably just read in my room”, Cross answered. “Though, I wonder what Dream and Ink will do. They wanted to go out today.”  
At the mention of his name, Nightmare had dropped the piece of bread he was holding and seemed to have frozen in place.  
“Night, is everything okay?”, Cross asked.  
“C-cross, I..”, Nightmare tried to tell the other about his slip up, but he could barely talk around the lump in his throat.  
“Nightmare?”, the king asked. “Care to explain?”  
And as his father spoke Nightmare's full name Cross suddenly realised what he did.  
“D-did I say Nightmare?”, he laughed. “Of course I meant to say Dream! Nightmare is his servant after all!”  
“I know when my son is trying to hide something”, the king said. “So, Nightmare it is? Do you have anything to say?”  
“He's not- he wouldn't... it's not-”, Cross stuttered, trying to say anything to make the situation better.  
“It's alright”, Nightmare reassured him, trying to stand up on suddenly shaking legs. “The damage is done”, he whispered, “Now let me take care of the aftermath.”  
Nightmare slowly took a few steps away from the table.  
“Night! What are you doing?”, Cross asked, standing up from his seat.  
Nightmare just gave him a pathetic smile before he kneeled down a few steps away from the king. He took his tiara off and lowered his head.  
“As your majesty has probably realised by now”, Nightmare started. “I am not the prince, Dream, but his servant, Nightmare. I know the weight of my actions and I will not ask for forgiveness, fully aware that such a thing will not ever exist for me. I can however assure your majesty that the real prince is all good and well and that he had nothing to do with this.” Nightmare had to take a deep breath to steel himself for what he would say next, and yet, his voice still broke as he started talking again. “I-it happened on my will alone and I am prepared for my punishment. I will accept death, torture or exile as much as anything else your majesty may see fit. And even though I no longer am and never was in a position to make requests, I pray your majesty will acknowledge the princes innocence in the matter.”  
“Night”, Cross barely croaked out after listening to Nightmare's announcement.  
“I understand”, the king answered.  
Nightmare didn't see the king stand up, but he did notice Cross, suddenly standing in front of him.  
“I will have to ask you to step aside”, the king said, looking at Cross.  
“I won't”, Cross said sternly.  
“Cross, please”, Nightmare whimpered.  
“Step aside, Cross”, the king said, voice not giving away his intentions at all.  
“If you hurt him..!”, Cross growled.  
“I won't ask again”, the king said, giving Cross a light shove to the shoulder.  
Reluctantly, Cross stepped aside, still glaring at his father. The king stood in front of Nightmare for an excruciatingly, painfully long minute. Then he extended a hand towards Nightmare.  
“Stand up”, he ordered.  
Nightmare might have been shocked at the gesture, but in his time as a servant he learned not to object when ordered. And so he took the king's hand and stood up, but remembered to keep his head low.  
“Did you really think I would not notice?”, the king asked.  
The question was obviously rhetorical and Nightmare knew only to speak when he was directly given permission.  
“Did you believe I would not notice that you two already switched places the moment the artist, Ink, arrived here?”, the king continued.  
“What!?”, Cross exclaimed, surprised.  
“P-pardon me?”, Nightmare couldn't hold himself back.  
“Nightmare”, the king said, and the smile was obvious in his voice, “you can not hide the way you walk, a little more careful than Dream, the way you still talk with the undertone of a servant. And you can not hide the way the smiles between you and my son are not faked, especially if he looks at you, so differently from how he looks at Dream. I don't even need to look at your eyes to tell you apart.”  
“Y-you aren't mad at him? At us?”, Cross asked surprised.  
“I may be a king”, the king answered, walking towards a window, “but I am still a father as well. Even if it may not always look like it, I do care for the well being of my son. And if he found love, in whatever strange circumstance, I am glad for him.” Then, the king turned around, looking at Nightmare again. “And what interesting coincidence must it be, that my son falls in love with the lost prince of the south, believed to be nothing more than a myth?”  
“H-how”, Nightmare stuttered, looking up.  
“A king has his ways to get the information he wants.”  
“I don't mean to be bold”, Nightmare said, “but what does that mean for me now?”  
“We will make slight adjustments”, the king told them with a smile. “For one, I would like to announce that next to the 'princes', both your brother and his beloved are invited to eat their meals together with us in the dining hall.”  
“B-but, your majesty”, Nightmare was shocked. “Even if you accept me as the prince, the artist is still a commoner.”  
“Nightmare, what happens in the castle, stays in the castle”, the king explained. “Back to the adjustments. I want you all to use the names given to you at birth so the confusion between Dream and Nightmare finally stops. You will start wearing our kingdoms colours and Dream can go back to wearing his clothes. And lastly, tell the artist to adjust the eye colour in the wedding painting according to our current prince. And now, Cross”, the king pointed to the tiara that lay forgotten on the ground.  
With a smile Cross picked up the tiara and ceremoniously placed it on Nightmare's head. And just for a moment, Nightmare stopped breathing.  
“Very well”, the king nodded. “You may now continue your day however you see fit.”  
“I shall excuse myself then”, Nightmare said while bowing his head and started walking out of the dining hall.  
“Night, where are you going?”, Cross asked as he started walking after his boyfriend. “Hey, wait for me!”  
Once Nightmare made it out of the dining hall his steps got faster and Cross had trouble catching up to him.  
Following Nightmare down those stairs, Cross already knew where he was headed. He reached him just in time, before Nightmare could open the door leading to the outside.  
“Night, it's pouring out there!”, he said, grabbing Nightmare's arm to stop him.  
“I know”, Nightmare sighed, not turning around. “But I really need to get some fresh air. I never asked you to follow me, so you don't have to.”  
Cross sighed, then hugged Nightmare. “I'm coming with you”, he whispered. “That little downpour is nothing to the storm raging inside of you.”  
Cross felt shaking hands reach up to his, still hugging the small frame of his boyfriend. The “Thank you” Nightmare whispered was so soft, Cross wasn't even sure he didn't just imagine it.  
They stood like that for a while, before Nightmare slowly pried the hands away from himself and opened the door leading outside and into the garden.  
Nightmare sat down on a bench, already drenched from the rain coming down mercilessly, his clothes getting soaked immediately, but he didn't seem to mind it, didn't even seem to notice it.  
Cross sat down beside him, his own cape already hanging heavy on his shoulders, dripping with water. And he waited, waited for Nightmare to say or do anything. He knew to wait in moments like these, knew not to interrupt when Nightmare was trying to calm the storm in his own mind.  
So they sat there, calm and waiting. They sat there for a while, the harsh rain not letting up, possibly even getting stronger. In the middle of it all, an ice cold wind picked up, pushing big cold drops onto their faces. They mixed with Nightmare's faint purple tears.  
Nightmare was crying. Tear falling down his face silently, almost drowned out by the colourless water running down his face, but Cross noticed them nonetheless.  
After some time, Nightmare leaned into Cross, not saying anything. And Cross just hugged him closer, not saying a word either.  
He didn't know how long they sat like that until Nightmare finally spoke.  
“I don't understand it”, he said.  
Startled by the sudden sound of Nightmare's voice amongst the rain, it took Cross a moment to focus. “Hmm?”, he hummed, to let Nightmare know he was listening.  
“He knew all along”, Nightmare said, cuddling even closer to Cross. “And he accepted it. That makes me wonder.. what am I to him? I know he said he values your happiness, but what if he just sees me as a powerful weapon against the other kingdom? I can't get this thought out of my head.” Nightmare grabbed on to Cross' clothing like a lifeline as his whole body shook. “I'm sick and tired of being used!”, he cried.  
At that, Cross just gripped Nightmare tighter, hugging him closer and whispered: “I won't let him. You're save with me. I am ready to give up my status for you. I don't care who hurts you, even if it is my own father, I will go against them, regardless of consequences!”Cross took Nightmare's face into his own hands, waited until Nightmare faced him to wipe the tears off his boyfriends face. “Just remember that you can talk to me about anything that bothers you. I want you to be happy, to finally be able to life without fear.”  
Nightmare sobbed a little, leaned into Cross' touch and caressed the other's face with his own hands.  
And then they kissed. Long and loving, completely ignoring the rain and the harsh wind that still lashed around them with an immense force.

By the time they went back inside, both of them were dripping wet and cold. Cross was the one who suggested them to take a bath together, to warm up again. He stopped a servant along the way, ordering them to bring dry clothes for both of them.  
While Cross undressed he noticed Nightmare had barely taken his cape off and looked at him. Still in his pants he walked towards Nightmare.  
“Hey, what's wrong?”, he asked.  
“I.. oh, it's nothing”, Nightmare answered, looking to the side. “I was just...”  
“Thinking, huh? What was it about?”  
Nightmare's hand unconsciously moved to his chest as he shook his head. “It's nothing, really.”  
“You know we don't have to do this if it makes you uncomfortable”, Cross sighed. “I can wait outside until you're done, but you should really get out of these wet clothes.”  
“I'm.. sorry”, Nightmare sighed, “It's not that I don't want to... I just remembered how.. unsightly I-”  
“You're not”, Cross interrupted Nightmare, then hugged him. “I already told you, I don't think you're ugly. I wish you could stop thinking I do.”  
“I also never took a bath in a bathtub, or together with anyone else, for that matter”, Nightmare admitted.  
“You.. what? Also, get out of these clothes already or you'll catch a cold!”, Cross smiled as he took a step back.  
“Even though I think we had a bathtub at our castle, Dream usually only took a shower in the morning and.. I showered in the servants barracks, but.. the 'shower' was basically just splashing cold water over my bones anyway”, Nightmare explained while he undressed.  
“Well, we're going to change that!”, Cross said with a smile as he picked up his now undressed boyfriend.  
“Wha- Cross, what are you doing? Let me down! Cross!”, Nightmare exclaimed out of surprise. Only seconds later, he screamed: “Oh, no, no, no, no. Cross, don't! Don't you dare- ah!”  
“So, how is the water?”, Cross asked after he gently placed Nightmare in the water.  
“It... isn't so bad”, Nightmare answered after he settled in. “Actually, it's quite pleasant, the temperature is nice, too. You should try it yourself!”  
“I'm already on it”, Cross smiled while he got out of his pants. He took both their tiaras and placed them on top of the sink, then got into the bathtub behind Nightmare, hugging the smaller one.  
“So?”, Nightmare smiled, leaning into Cross.  
“You were right”, Cross said, placing his head on top of Nightmare's, “the water does have the perfect temperature.”  
Nightmare hummed softly and closed his eyes.  
“Seems you really like it, don't you?”, Cross smiled, looking at his completely relaxed boyfriend.  
Nightmare liked the feeling of safety Cross emitted, more than anything else. He loved how Cross' presence alone gave him enough courage to do things he would previously have been afraid of. He was glad the current turn of events gave him less things to be afraid of, less people wanting to hurt him. He loved how he could lay next to Cross without a care in the world, naked without being judged for any of his marks. He enjoyed the warm embrace Cross was always so willing to give and the love radiating off his hands.  
And yet, he couldn't possibly tell him all this. So he settled on a simple: “Yes, yes I do”, eyes still closed and fingers running along Cross arms. As he touched his hand he got surprised by the presence of a small metal object. He opened his eyes and lifted their intertwined hands to look at them. They still wore their rings.  
“Oh”, Nightmare let out in soft surprise.  
“What are you thinking?”, Cross asked, now also looking at their hands.  
“Isn't it weird to wear a ring someone else spoke the vows for?”, Nightmare asked, the question directed more at himself.  
“I guess you don't have to wear the ring if it makes you uneasy”, Cross told him.  
“That's... not really it”, Nightmare said, trying to organize his thoughts. “Aren't you technically still married to Dream?”  
“I'd much rather pretend I'm married to the person who's wearing the ring right now”, Cross answered, then added: “If that's what you want as well.”  
“Hmm, yes, I think that would be nice”, Nightmare smiled. “The two of us and a symbol of our bond.”  
“That's what it is”, Cross said as he guided their hands towards his mouth and kissed Nightmare's ring. Nightmare was glad Cross couldn't see the blush that formed on his face because of the gesture.  
They sat together a little longer until Cross said: “We should get out before the water gets cold”  
He was right, they only did this to get warm again. Also.. “We still need to talk to Ink and Dream as well”, Nightmare noticed.  
“Oh, right”, Cross said surprised. “Alright, let's get out then.”  
Cross helped Nightmare out of the bathtub, then threw a towel into his direction.  
“Uhm, Cross?”, Cross heard Nightmare's uncertain voice and even though he knew what this was about he turned around anyway, and then could barely hold in his laughter at the sight. Nightmare was standing there, still naked, holding up a white button up shirt with a questioning look. “Are you sure these are the right clothes?”  
“Come on”, Cross smiled, “at least try them on before complaining?”  
Nightmare just stared at Cross for a good thirty seconds before he sighed and finally decided to get dressed. Cross did the same.  
“They are yours, aren't they?”, Nightmare asked once he was dressed and Cross turned around to look at him. “They are a bit big on me.”  
He was right, they were a bit big. The button up was a little long, so Nightmare wore the pants over it, it was covered by a black vest anyway. And if anyone was to ask Cross, Nightmare looked good in it.  
“Sorry”, Cross laughed his apology, “I just really wanted to see you in colours that.. fit you better.”  
“Well, I'm not uncomfortable in these colours”, Nightmare admitted, “but, should I really wear a cape with this kingdoms crest?”  
“You belong here now, don't you?”, Cross walked towards him to hold his hands. “I want you to be able to stop thinking about that place more than necessary.”  
“Thank you”, Nightmare whispered before he kissed Cross.

By the time they knocked on Ink's door they had already checked Dream's room, to no avail. Even though they had expected the room to be empty, they still wanted to make sure.  
“Come in”, they heard Dream call from the other side of the door and took that as their clue to enter.  
The scene that unfolded in front of them was something neither of them could have ever imagined, even though they were aware of the other two skeletons' quirky nature.  
Ink lay on the floor, his sketchbook in front of him, the backside of a pencil loosely dangling from his mouth.  
Dream, on the other hand had placed a chair a little away from Ink, probably to watch him while he drew something. But instead of sitting on the chair, like any normal person would, he was lying on it, legs draped over the backrest, his head almost touching the floor.  
And so it happened, that Nightmare's first words were: “Dream, get off that chair right now or sit down normally! You will only hurt your back and neck if you continue this way!”  
“You're no fun, Nighty”, Dream pouted, not making even a single move to change his position. “Like this, I got a better few of what Ink is doing! Though, he stopped doing anything because you are here now.”  
“Well, sorry to interrupt your little 'session'”, Cross huffed, “but this is actually really important.”  
It was something in Cross' voice that told Dream that this really wasn't the time to be joking. And so, finally he turned his head to look at the two visitors. And he noticed a pretty obvious difference.  
“Night..?”, he asked softly, finally getting up to sit normally.  
Nightmare nodded, before saying: “I.. will wear the kingdom's colours now.”  
“W-what's the occasion?”, Dream hesitated, suddenly a little scared of the answer.  
“Like I said”, Cross started, pulling over a chair for Nightmare to sit on, “we got some things to talk about”, then pulled over a chair for himself as well. “Night?”  
Nightmare looked down, fidgeting with his ring. “Yeah, well, you see.. the king, he knows of our little secret, knew for a while, actually.”  
“He.. what-?”, Dream asked, almost jumping up from his seat.  
“Sit back down”, Cross told him, “he... seems to be okay with it? Told Nightmare to take the role of my prince and husband.”  
“Though, he is also aware of my heritage and that scares me”, Nightmare said, still not looking up.  
“He knows you're my brother? Then.. he knows you're not an ordinary servant”, Dream said, thinking out loud. “I wonder what that means to him.”  
“Come on”, Cross sighed, “Why are you both so pessimistic about this? He said my happiness is important to him and he would accept Nightmare in the role of the prince. Can't you just-”  
“I've honestly seen enough people saying one and meaning the other”, Dream shook his head. “I just really hope you are right with this. I was starting to enjoy it here.”  
“He also asked for you to wear your normal robes again”, Nightmare said, finally facing Dream. “And you and Ink are both invited to join us in the dining hall from now on.”  
“At this point I really can't tell if he's just way too kind for his own good or actually on to something”, Dream sighed as he stood up from his chair and extended a hand to Ink, who took it.  
“He also requested Ink to change the eyecolour of that wedding painting to Night's”, Cross shrugged as he got up from his chair as well.  
Both Ink and Dream looked at him in utter disbelieve.  
Ink, who stayed silent through out the whole previous conversation, finally spoke: “Heh, he really means it then, I suppose? Well, I could do it today, but I'd rather wait for the right light. It might just be the eyecolour, but I'd want this to still be the best it can be.”  
“He means it, huh?”, Dream mumbled under his breath as he walked towards the door. With a quick: “I'll get changed in my room, it's almost time for lunch anyway”, he slipped out of the door, closing it behind himself.  
Sighing, Nightmare went for the door as well. He looked back at Cross and told him: “Don't follow me this time”, before leaving as well.  
Left behind, Cross and Ink looked at each other.  
“I don't even know who of them took it worse”, Cross said, sitting down again. “Dream or Nightmare?”  
“I really don't know anything about this world of royalty, but these two are always so on edge whenever they are in the castle. It feels like they are only really their selves when they are outside”, Ink philosophized.  
“I had no idea you had anything other than art and silly ideas in that head of yours”, Cross mused.  
“Eh, well, it comes and goes”, Ink laughed.  
“They really do carry a lot of bad experiences with them, though”, Cross agreed. “I just wish there was a way to make it better for them.”  
“That's what we are here for, isn't it?”, Ink asked, lying down next to his sketchbook again.  
“Yeah, you aren't wrong there”, Cross smiled with newfound purpose.

“Dream?”, Nightmare knocked on the door.  
“Are you alone?”, Dream asked.  
“I am”, Nightmare answered.  
Dream knew he could have heard the lie in Nightmare's voice if there was any, so he finally said: “Fine then, you can come in.”  
Nightmare opened the door and entered the room, his eyes already searching for Dream while he closed the door. Dream stood at his wardrobe, changing clothes as he proclaimed.  
“Are you okay?”, Nightmare asked carefully.  
“Are you?”, Dream threw the question back at him. “Are you okay with this turn of events? What if it all backfires?”  
“Look, Dream, maybe we're just overth-”  
“Aren't you scared?”, Dream turned towards Nightmare, now fully dressed. “Because I am! I've witnessed all the things done to you because we dared to believe in someone, Nightmare! And it scares me. Doesn't it scare you, too?”  
“It does”, Nightmare answered, his soft and collected voice a harsh contrast to Dream's outburst. “But Cross said his father isn't a bad person and I really want to believe him.”  
“You're supposed to be the rational one out of us”, Dream sighed and sat down on his bed, exhausted. “I don't want to argue with you”, he whispered.  
“Neither do I”, Nightmare said, sitting down next to Dream and hugging him.  
Dream leaned into to hug. When they were like this, he could almost forget the rest of the world. And then Nightmare started humming that all too familiar tune that never failed to bring tears to Dream's eyes. It was something they threw together as kids, when they were still remotely carefree. It was a reminder of smiles on hot summer days or extremely freezing winter days, days without scars and the need for healing magic.  
Dream didn't want to cry right now, knew it wasn't the right moment to do so. So he willed his mind away from these vivid images of a time long gone, tried to think of something else and laughed.  
Nightmare stopped humming to send him a questioning look and Dream almost regretted interrupting this serene moment. He still decided to explain.  
“You know”, Dream hummed, “it's really funny, how all this time, I would sit alone in bed, wishing for you to be my brother instead of my servant. Because I wanted us to be closer, wanted you to have the same rank I had, to not get these looks from everyone, when we spend time together. And now we sit here, on my bed, together, and you are not only my brother but my twin.”  
“Times change”, Nightmare hummed softly, “and see, if everything works out, we might actually be equals. So, will we try to believe once more?”  
“You've always been like this”, Dream laughed, “telling me that it isn't as bad as it looks, that it was an accident, that it'll turn out okay... taking hits in my stead... This time I'm no longer that stupid, naïve prince everyone wanted me to be. He won't get a second chance if he does anything...”  
“Hmm, you'd need to give him a first chance for that anyway”, Nightmare chuckled.  
“Fine”, Dream huffed and stood up from the bed. “Let's get the other two for lunch, then.”  
As soon as they walked out of the room they were greeted by Cross and Ink walking towards them.   
"Oh hey, we were just about to get you so we wouldn't be late for lunch!", Ink waved at them.   
"Thanks for the concern", Nightmare smiled, "but as you can see, we remembered just in time."   
"Are you.. okay", Cross asked, looking at the twins.   
Nightmare looked at Dream for a moment, then back at Cross and with a smile he nodded. "Yeah, I think we are."  
Cross nodded, still a little unsure what to make of the whole situation. In the end, he took Nightmare's hand and they all went down to the dining hall.   
Once they arrived, Ink looked around anxiously. Nightmare and Cross went to sit down at their usual seats while Dream walked to the opposite side of the table.   
"Where am I supposed to sit?", Ink whispered.   
Dream seemed extremely tense - though for different reasons than Ink - and gave off a generally hostile aura, especially as they passed the king, who already sat down. But the moment he turned to face Ink his whole face lifted into a kind smile and he whispered: "Just sit down next to me."   
Dream sat down opposite of Nightmare, one empty seat between him and the king, and pointed for Ink to sit down on the chair further away from the king.   
"I am glad you could all make it", the king said cheerfully once everyone sat down.   
Both Dream and Cross nodded while Nightmare said: “Your kindness is much appreciated, your majesty.”  
“There is no need to thank me”, the king stated, “I have only done what I believe to be the right thing.” Then he turned to Ink: “Ink, I hope my son has told you what I asked of you.”  
“Y-your majesty's word has reached me”, Ink nodded, still a little lost. “I will get to it straight away tomorrow morning if the storm has calmed down.”  
“Feel free to take your time”, the king smiled, “after all, only the artist knows the best time to work.”  
“U-uh, r-right”, Ink agreed.  
“On another note, Dream, I hope you can accept your new position.”  
“Nothing much has changed about _my_ position”, Dream said with an undertone that was hard to pinpoint. “After all, I have been a prince for my whole life. And even though it did come as a surprise for it to happen so quickly and without a lot of problems, I am glad my brother is finally equal to me.”  
“It is as it should have always been”, the king agreed. “Nightmare, I hope you calmed down a little?”  
“I am better now”, Nightmare nodded. “Thank you for your concern, your majesty.”  
“That is good”, the king smiled.  
And just like that, the hall went silent as all of them resumed eating.

Once they were done, all of them got out of their seats to go back to their rooms.   
"Dream, would you stay another minute?", the king asked.   
Ink immediately turned to Dream, a questioning look on his face.  
“Go ahead without me”, Dream smiled at him. “I'll join you soon enough."   
Ink looked a little concerned, but then walked towards Cross and Nightmare, who were waiting for him.  
"What is this about?", Ink asked confused, once they left the dining hall.   
“They probably just want to talk about some arrangements”, Cross reassured Ink with a slight smile.  
“I wonder”, Nightmare mumbled almost inaudible. 

“You seem concerned about something”, the king said once the others left.  
“Are you sure about this?”, Dream asked, leaning against a wall and looking out of the window.  
“What exactly?”, the king asked.  
“There are enough people in this castle alone that will remember him as a servant”, Dream sighed. “And even more outside of it.”  
"If you are referring to your father", the king spoke thoughtful, "I doubt he will say anything that will expose his past mistakes."  
“His past mistakes?”  
“He should have never hid the existence of his second son”, the king shook his head. “Mages and rumours should never have robbed you of your twin brother.”  
“Is that... really what you're thinking?”, Dream asked surprised.  
“What else should I be thinking?”  
“Do you not believe the rumours at all?”, Dream asked and turned his head towards the king. “The demonic child with unbelievable power? Born into the cursed night with the ability to pulverise armies in the blink of an eye?”  
“I do not care for legends passed down and changed by some travelling merchants”, the king said. “If anything, he is your brother, a prince of blood and a young boy that deserves to live just a little happier than he did before. He doesn't deserve the way he has been treated by your father.”  
"He doesn't deserve it. And that's why I really hope you mean what you say."   
"You really care a lot about your brother, don't you?", the king asked as he joined Dream at the window.   
"I always... Even before I knew him as my brother, I always wanted nothing but the best for him. And yet..."   
"He is barely twenty and yet he has seen enough evil for a lifetime."   
"We are _already_ twenty, and yet I feel like we never lived at all", Dream shook his head with a sigh.   
“That's why I am willing to give both of you a chance to do so”  
“But, what part do I play now?”, Dream asked. “I am no longer the person who is married to your son"  
"Be our guest then", the king suggested.  
Dream laughed a little at that, hearty and honest. "That sounds nice, I really liked my guest-time here." After a short break he added: "But, what about Ink? If he's eating with us, he must be more than a normal painter."  
"He is your chosen lover and there is nothing I can do about it. If he wishes to continue working for us that is fine, but he is our guest as well."  
"Sounds good", Dream sighed, closing his eyes.  
"So, are we on good terms again? It truly did not feel nice to have your angry eyes on me during lunch."  
Dream smiled and extended a hand. But he got serious again, the moment he started speaking: "The deal is off the moment you or one of your workers hurt my Nightmare. I am still his brother and it is my duty to make sure he stays out of harms way."  
"Glad we could find common ground", the king said as he shook Dream's hand, seemingly evading the last comment.

"So, How did it go?", Nightmare asked as soon as Dream entered the room.  
They where all gathered in Ink's room, Ink back to his sketchbook, still on the floor. Cross lay down on Ink's bed while Nightmare seemed to have looked at the paintings on the wall before he turned towards the door.  
"We're good", Dream said with a smile, though, at the realisation of it, he felt tears rise to his eyes. "We're good", he repeated again and again, because it still felt to surreal to him.  
Nightmare knew his brother, knew when he needed a hug. And so he walked towards Dream and hugged him. "You did well", he whispered as Dream hugged him back, put his head down on Nightmare's chest to hide that single tear that slipped from his eyes.  
They were here, they were real and if nothing else, they had each other. It felt nice.  
After a while they parted again, still smiling.  
"So... mind telling me what this was all about?", Ink asked, still not sure about the whole situation.  
"Oh, it's nothing", Nightmare smiled, sending a sideways glance at Dream. "Don't worry about it, we're good."  
Cross got up from the bed, a slight smile on his face. "I am glad you could talk it all out", he said. Then he clasped his hands together, drawing everyone's attention to himself. "So, what now? There isn't a lot to do, now that it's raining, so... any suggestions?"  
At that question, Dream basically beamed and Nightmare already knew he wouldn't like his suggestion.  
"I really liked our last time in the music room", Dream said, "but, this time Nightmare should sing!"  
"No, I really shouldn't..", Nightmare said, a giant blush on his face.  
"Oh, come on Night", Cross pleaded, "I'm sure you'll do great!"  
"I'm telling you, his voice is godsend!", Dream told them. "Though, if you don't want to, we could always sing a duet", he suggested.  
"We could all take turns singing if we know the song", Ink chimed in. "So, nobody will have to feel bad about their ability, because there will always be someone who is worse!"  
"Fine", Nightmare agreed. "Fine, but you'll have to sing first, Cross!"  
"Wha- me? I.. uuhm.."  
" 'Come on, I'm sure you'll do great' ", Ink imitated Cross. "If you want to hear your boyfriend, you better start a good example", he laughed.  
"Fine", Cross pouted. "Fine, I'll do it! Just, don't say I didn't warn you!"

"I told you, you'd regret asking me!", Cross exclaimed after the first song, while Ink was holding back a fit of laughter.   
"Oh no, I really liked it!", Nightmare smiled.   
"You don't have to lie to me."   
"Alright now", Ink laughed, "Cross sacrificed himself for you, will you honour him?"   
Nightmare still looked a little uncertain, but Dream started playing a familiar tune on the piano. Nightmare started singing, soft and silent, barely audible. Dream joined him and the longer they sang together, the louder and steadier became Nightmare's voice.   
They harmonised perfectly, Cross and Ink almost drowned in the moment, watching their loved ones loosing themselves to the song. And then Dream stopped singing and for a moment no one realised it. Nightmare just kept singing, voice still perfectly in tune and Cross understood why Dream wanted his brother to sing.   
If Dream had the voice of an angel, it was only natural for his twin to have one as well. Though, if Dream's voice gave you the feeling of a fireplace, the safety of a home at night during a storm, Nightmare's voice was the first ray of sun on a snowy day, it's far away, yet you can feel it all the same, faint, yet present nonetheless.  
As the piano stopped and he was no longer singing, Nightmare suddenly felt everyone's eyes on him. "Uuuh, uum..", he stuttered.  
"You did great, Nighty", Dream clapped his hands with a smile.  
"See, I have no idea what you were worried about", Cross smiled at his boyfriend.  
"Yeah, well, who's next?", Nightmare huffed, picking up the violin. "I didn't tune this violin for nothing."  
"Whaaa-? I want to sing when you play violin!", Dream said.  
"Yeah, but Ink hasn't shown us his singing voice yet", Cross laughed, "It would be only fair if he was next, right?"  
“B-but”, Dream pouted.  
“We could always sing a duet”, Ink suggested.  
“You just want Dream to cover up your inability to hit even a single note”, Cross taunted him.  
“Well, maaayybeee?”, Ink smiled.  
Nightmare sighed and Dream laughed, but both started playing the next song.  
As it turns out, Cross was right in his assumption.

Later that day, Dream explained what he had talked about with the king and all of them breathed a sigh of relief.

That evening they all ate dinner together at the same table. There were no arguments and no ill intentions. Just the loving smiled of three princes and an artist.

The morning after, the clouds had disappeared from the sky and Ink used that chance to change the eyecolour of the prince in the painting first thing in the morning.  
Cross and Nightmare would walk outside to greet the first rays of sunshine slowly crawling through the leafs of the trees to dry the wet grass underneath their shoes.  
Everything was calm that day, barely remnants of the storm that raged yesterday, both literally and figuratively.  
The princes started smiling more, the twins finally getting a chance to be the brothers they should've always been.  
They remembered, fairytales were never meant to end well, but they knew to salvage what they had for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And so, like all good stories, this one, though maybe not all _that_ good, is coming to an end.  
> I am not sure how my time management will look the next few months, but I will get around to the bonus chapters eventually. That said, requests for bonus chapters are still open and will probably be for quite a bit! Feel free to leave any, the "rules" or "guidelines" can be found in the previous chapter! Haven't said so, but you may as well request angst/drama with any of these characters (though, a little specific, not only the term, if possible xD)  
> Heee, I really hope you all enjoyed this story! Leave a comment and tell me!


	21. Bonus 1: CrossMare Fluff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They can have a nice evening, as a treat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes I am back!! I have not forgotten about this wonderful peace that was a big part of me finding myself as an author!!  
> I promised you all some nice bonus chapters, so here is the first one! Some Fluff, as requested!  
> You are all still free to leave more suggestions down in the comments if there is anything you want to read!!

Nightmare and Cross sat on the bench in the garden, books lying beside them, abandoned for a while now as the two princes cuddled with each other.

“The sky is so clear tonight”, Nightmare hummed. “I really like how the fountain looks in the glow of the full moon.”

“I'm glad you can still admire the garden even after all the times you've been here already”, Cross sighed contend, wrapping his arm around Nightmare a little tighter.

“Nature never looses it's beauty”, Nightmare said. “Not to me at least. And I am glad I found someone who thinks just the same.” He nuzzled Cross cheek a little, giving him a chaste kiss.

Cross chuckled and stood up in a swift motion, pulling Nightmare up with him. 

“Cross?”, Nightmare asked, a little surprised.

“I just remembered”, Cross hummed, “We never had our wedding dance.”

Nightmare looked up at the other and right in that moment the moon shown down on him, illuminating Cross' features so perfectly Nightmare almost drowned in the moment. Cross' soft words and the small, genuine smile on his face lulled him in and he almost forgot what the other said.

“We.. never actually had an official marriage”, Nightmare remembered, sighing. “My brother.. did that in my stead. Or, well, he was meant to-”

Cross shut Nightmare's rambling with a kiss to the other's mouth, drowning out all the words he might still have said. “That's not what I was implying, Night”, Cross whispered, face close to his lover. “I was about to suggest-”, he took a few steps backwards, bowing with an outstretched hand, “Grant me this dance, your highness, prince Nightmare?”

A blush spread across Nightmare's face faster than he thought possible. It was still new to him to be given a royal title, and prince out of all things was not something he ever hoped to be. With a shaking hand he grabbed Cross'. “But of course, prince Cross. We shall dance until the night is over”, he said, chucking a little.

Cross tugged Nightmare's hand a little closer to himself, giving it a kiss before he stood up completely again. Then he wrapped his arms around Nightmare and started swaying both of them a little, humming a soft tune. 

Nightmare still blushed, remembering how they never actually shared a dance together despite their current status of marriage. He leaned closer to Cross, his head on the other's chest. He had no idea how much he craved this before.

Cross took the lead and they danced around the fountain, the blue shimmer of the water reflecting on their faces, engulfing both of them in an almost fairy-tale like aura. The night was clear, not a cloud to be seen and a wind rustled their clothes, as fresh and new as if it hadn't been breathed by a single soul before, their steps the only ones that could be hear in the otherwise empty garden.

Nightmare felt the love in every one of Cross' touches, saw it on his face, so obviously shining in his eyes. And he knew it was dedicated to him, only him and no one else and it overwhelmed him so much that the tears just spilled from his eyes.

“N-night, what's wrong?”, Cross asked concerned, one hand reaching up to catch the tear before it fell.

“It's nothing”, Nightmare said, voice barely above a whisper was laced with so much joy and happiness it surprised Cross. “I just.. I just realized how much you love me, how much I love you and.. and it just overwhelmed me.”

“Night..”, Cross hummed, leaning closer to the other, kissing the tears away from his face. “Love should have never been something you lacked in your live. And I will give you just as much and more than you need, whenever you need it and even if you don't think you deserve it.”

“I know”, Nightmare sighed happily. “I know and it makes me so happy. I am just so glad I got to meet you.”

“So am I”, Cross said and kissed the top of Nightmare's head. “Trust me. I was already prepared to spend the rest of my life with someone I felt nothing for and then I met you.”

They had stopped dancing the moment Cross noticed Nightmare's crying but didn't even realise it. Now that they had a moment to take everything in, Cross slowly shoved Nightmare backwards and sat both of them down on the rim of the fountain. 

Nightmare leaned his head on Cross' shoulder again, breathing in the fresh air. “What a beautiful night indeed”, he whispered, watching the moon on its way across the sky. 

He let his hand move back, trusting Cross to keep him from falling backwards and let his fingertips sink into the fountain, swirling in the cold water. He was glad it wasn't freezing but he enjoyed the harsh sensation, telling him he was here and this was real, Cross was real just as their love was. He was no longer bound to a merciless king who never accepted him as his son, no longer looked down upon as some demon that was better locked up in a dark room.

He was Nightmare, a prince, happily married to the man that meant the world to him and he could finally look at his brother eye to eye. Only a year ago he would have never believed any of these things to ever happen and yet, here he was.

Nightmare lifted his head a little and pressed a kiss to Cross' mouth, saying all the things he didn't know how to put into words, showing all the love he had for the other in this one single gesture and Cross moved his hands up, wrapping them around Nightmare's chest and shoulders in a firm hug.

It was only them and the night and the soft sounds of the wind and the fountain and something about it felt so pure, so lovingly, so _theirs_. This moment was _theirs_ and no one would ever take it from them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to comment! (If you want to haha)


	22. Bonus 2: A Celebration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's the twins' birthday party!   
> What could possibly go wrong?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh. by the way, I gave Dream and Cross some [digital redesigns](https://theblackbutterfly02.tumblr.com/post/633491322960035840/decided-to-draw-some-redesigns-for-my-lovely)!!! Thought it was time for some as my art skills improved a little after I started drawing digitally some months ago xD

“Thank you, we really appreciate it”, Nightmare smiled as he received another richly ornamented vase and an expensive oil painting.

“You have our best wishes, I am sure the kingdom will blossom now that the prince has finally married!”, the man said, bowing before he left.

Nightmare sighed, looking down at the vase he still held in his hands. “What are we even supposed to do with all this”, he shook his head. “It's not that.. some of these are really gorgeous, but.. there's only so much room in the castle. And even though we received a lot of flowers, counting all the vases we got..”

“Night”, Dream laughed next to him, then he shook his head. “Sorry, for a second I forgot this is your first big celebration. There's a reason castles have giant store rooms. The décor is changed every year, new items received during these events taking the places of others. You'll come to terms with it eventually.”

“I think that'll take quite a long time”, Nightmare chuckled.

Both twins looked up surprised as Cross entered the room. “That was the last one”, he smiled. “You two can come down and enjoy some cake with me and Ink if you want.”

“Oh I'd die to get something in my stomach right now”, Dream joked, already jumping around and to the main hall.

“Night?”, Cross asked, looking over at his lover.

“I'm fine”, Nightmare said with a sincere smile. “It's just.. a little much is all. Somehow.. these events where less troublesome back when I was still a servant.”

Cross laughed. “Well, I think you deserve to be the centre of attention on your birthday, dear!”

“Hmm, maybe. Still overwhelmed by all these presents..”

“Let's forget all that for a moment and enjoy some cake and champa-”

“Tea”, Nightmare interrupted Cross, still not fond of alcohol.

“Tea then..”, Cross almost pouted, earning a laugh from Nightmare.

“So, you got some nice presents while you were gone?”, Ink asked, excited to get a full on report.

“Hmm, most of it was just the normal.. golden vases, oil paintings..”, Dream shrugged.

“Though, I was quite surprised as that one guy offered you the horse!”, Nightmare said.

“Heh, well, that was actually still pretty normal”, Dream sighed. “Though-”

“Oh, we do not talk about that-”, Nightmare protested.

“Come on!”, Dream laughed. “Honestly, your face when that one pair just came in and handed you that servant!”

“I-”, Nightmare started, but was unsure what to say really. “It kinda.. hit me, personally, okay? I mean, they couldn't know about my backstory, but just seeing the face of that boy! I thought.. the king could have easily..”

“He wouldn't have!”, Dream interrupted Nightmare. “This isn't a place for dark thoughts anyway, Nighty! It's our birthday party! Come on, you're supposed to enjoy it!”

“They are actually giving you.. living things as presents?”, Ink asked surprised. “People, horses..?”

“Hmm, yeah”, Dream nodded. “Sometimes they try to get rid of other animals you could use as pets too. That ranges from exotic birds to.. hmm I think I got offered a racoon once. Though, luckily we are allowed to decline presents.”

“Yeah, but there's a chance the other will get mad if you do so”, Nightmare said.

“Is _that_ why you accepted the servant?”, Dream asked, trying to keep from bursting out laughing.

Nightmare shook his head. “No”, he sighed. “From the look in his eyes, he'll have a better live here. I just know it.”

Everyone on the table went silent for a moment, remembering what they knew about Nightmare's past. Cross immediately entangled their fingers under the table, pressing down on Nightmare's hand to reassure the other. 

“The cake is good”, he said, trying to change the subject.

“Oh yeah!”, Ink chimed in. “They really did so good with the apple pie! Oh, oh! And you should try the one that has like.. cherry liqueur in it!”

Nightmare face-palmed at that and Dream laughed that the whole hall heard it.

“Guys, we're not getting drunk of cake filling, please!”, Nightmare 

“But Night”, Cross whined. “I heard that cake is especially good!”

“No!”, Nightmare exclaimed. “Especially _you_ won't get any! I am _not_ carrying you to your room again!”

“Fine”, Cross whined and leaned back, sipping the last of his drink.

Nightmare sighed and collected everyone's empty glasses. “I'll get something new to drink, expect me back in a few”, he said and took off before anyone could remind him he was a prince now.

“Wonder how long it'll take him to remember he's not your servant anymore”, Cross sighed, looking over at Dream.

“A while”, the young prince shrugged, eating a piece of cake.

“Shouldn't we..?”, Ink started, but stopped as the other two shook their heads.

“He's still really good at carrying a bunch of glasses, so let him”, Dream spoke around the cake he chewed.

“Night is really skilled”, Cross smiled proudly, “Still better than most our servants, really.”

Nightmare dropped the whole tablet with the four filled glasses as he was pulled over to a dark corner on his way back. His breath got caught in his throat as he saw who it was that pulled him over.

“Who do you think you are, pretending to be him?”, the southern king asked. “I think I told you! You are not worth of these clothes or that crown, Nightmare!”

Nightmare stood completely frozen, looking down, not wanting to meet the cold gaze he knew awaited him should he dare lift his head. What was he thinking, really? It was Dream's birthday, it would be a surprise if his father _didn't_ come to visit.

“Hey, answer me you piece of shit! Why are you wearing the royal attire to this festivity?”

Nightmare clung to his tunic, both hands messing with the hems and tears shot to his eyes. He had no excuse other than love and the person in front of him wouldn't accept that, believing Nightmare unable of that feeling. And even if he was capable of love, he wasn't allowed it, as he was the image of pure destruction.

Nightmare had no excuse and as he didn't answer the king in front of him raised his hand, ready to punish Nightmare for what he did, disobeying the rules that had been set for him ever since he was born. 

Nightmare closed his eyes and waited for the impact that would sent him to the ground, hurt and bleeding.

But.. it never came.

As he looked up again, he saw both Cross and Cross' father holding the king's hand back with strong arms.

“I already wondered what took you so long”, Cross mumbled, sending Nightmare a sad look.

“You will not hurt the prince”, the king spoke in his calm, composed voice. Then he nodded at Cross who immediately let go of the other king's arm to walk over to Nightmare, wrapping the smaller in a protective hug.

“If you put even a wrinkle in my love's clothes...”, he said, staring at the person in front of him with anger in his usually gentle eyes.

“This is a celebration day, we should all go out and celebrate", Cross' father said, stepping in front of the other king.

"Can you not see?!", the southern king screamed. "That is my son's servant, masked as the prince you are defending! He is an imposter! I wonder what he did with my beloved son!"

“He is my brother and just as much a prince as I am”, Dream said, joining the scene, followed by Ink. “And as you can see, he did nothing to me. I gave up my position willingly as he has the same rights as I do.”

“He is not my son”, Dream's father complained, pointing at Nightmare. “Dream is the one who married Cross, you are breaking our treaty by just switching the two behind my back! Come Dream, we are leaving”, he said and grasped Dream by the wrist, attempting to drag him off.

Dream quickly pulled his wrist free again, standing in front of Nightmare. “He is my twin!”, he cried out. “You are father to both of us! Even if we wish to deny that. Taking my twin from me, raising us separate.. keeping me in the dark”, he held his hands to his chest, anger burning inside of him. “I can not accept such actions from my father! I will not accept such actions from you anymore! I live here now and I can make my own decisions, just as Nightmare can!”

“The southern prince is to be married to the only child of the north”, Cross' father recited. “I see nothing wrong with how it is right now. Hiding the existence of your second son is a great fault and I hope you know of the consequences should that ever be revealed. I give you the choice to leave or enjoy this day without engaging with the princes again. If you choose to act any different we will be forced to take action ourselves.”

“You will soon experience the consequences of taking in the demon of the night”, the twins' father mumbled before he turned and walked towards the exit. 

Dream still felt an immense anger inside of him and stepped forward in an attempt to catch up to the person that called himself his father but he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder. Looking to his side he saw the king, smiling down at him and shaking his head.

“Don't”, he said and nodded over to where Nightmare was all cuddled up to Cross, looking ready to collapse and Dream understood.

“N-night, are you okay?”, he asked, voice filled with worry.

“I.. I don't feel too good”, Nightmare hiccuped. “S-sorry, but I think I'll..”

“I'll escort you to the bathroom”, Cross said, supporting his boyfriend from behind him. “Maybe get you some tea, how does that sound? You need quiet and rest for now.”

“M-my sincerest apologies for leaving the celebrations so prematurely”, Nightmare stammered weakly. “After all, it is held for the sake of my twin and me, I know I sho-”

“Nightmare”, the king sighed quietly and Nightmare winched but looked up at him anyway, “You are a prince now and if you do not feel well and need to leave the party because of it, no one will get mad at it. None of the guests will ask any questions, just do what makes you feel better.” The king then looked over at his son, nodding. “I will also excuse you for the night. Take good care of the prince for us.”

“I will!”, Cross exclaimed. “Thank you, father.”

He then left with Nightmare, carrying the small prince over to the closest bathroom and locking the door behind them.

“Night..”, he whispered as he set the other down.

Nightmare stumbled over to the sink, letting the water run cold and splashing some in his face. He felt horribly nauseous. “C-cross”, he sobbed, leaning onto the sink a little too much.

“Shh”, Cross hummed, catching and supporting him from behind. “It's okay, I'm here.”

“I really..”, Nightmare whimpered and a sarcastic laugh escaped him. “I really almost forgot.. he actually existed. It was.. just too nice here. Being myself without worries.”

“Don't think about it Night”, Cross hummed, caressing the face of the other. “You're still here and you won't go anywhere. You're save with me.”

Nightmare wanted to say some more, but shut his mouth again as another wave of nausea ran through him and he could barely hold himself up. “H-h..help me a little?”, he whispered instead, leaning into Cross' touch.

Cross just nodded, Nightmare could see it in the mirror and started cleaning Nightmare's face, getting some of the cool water onto the other's neck. 

“Relax”, he hummed and patted Nightmare's face dry again with a towel. “I'll carry you, alright?”

Nightmare just nodded and let himself fall into Cross' arms. Cross walked both of them to his room, stopping a servant on his way to ask for tea to be brought. 

Once in his room he lay a panting Nightmare down on his bed.

“How do you feel?”, he asked and Nightmare turned to his side, trying to face Cross.

“My stomach is turning and I feel way too weak”, Nightmare mumbled. “All these memories.. just came flooding back and..”

“Shh”, Cross shushed him, “You don't need to talk about things that make you uncomfortable.”

Nightmare nodded and they waited in silence for the tea. 

Once it arrived Nightmare drank it, sip by sip while Cross sat behind him in the bed, rubbing his back and arms in small, soothing motions while he whispered all the sweetest, reassuring things. 

After he finished his tea Nightmare cuddled up to Cross, falling asleep in the other's arms. Cross would be there, should the smaller one get bad dreams.

Meanwhile, without the overprotective brother, Dream and Ink got wasted down in the main hall, eating the cherry liqueur cake to the last piece and drinking all the alcohol they could find, then danced to every song that was played until they couldn't stand, passing out into Dream's bed together as the sun already rose on the horizon again.

Within a letter the king had made sure the twins wouldn't get any of these ruse surprise visits from their father again in the future.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you liked it!  
> Still accepting bonus suggestions!


	23. Bonus 3: Drink fluff

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dorks at their best

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a bunch of fluff (with a side of really short lived angst because of a misunderstanding xD)
> 
> Also! Hope everyone saw the redesigns linked in the last chapter!! (I'm kinda proud of them)

“Come on”, Ink laughed and dragged Dream out of his room, “I'm sure you have everything we need! It's getting later by the minute and you know the sun won't stay up forever in autumn!”

“Ink!”, Dream protested, though he was laughing just as much. “I'm sure I forgot something!”

“You're just concerned because your brother isn't coming with us”, Ink giggled. “But come on, we can't bother Nightmare all the time just because he actually packs for every possible situation.”

Dream sighed as Ink finally managed to drag him out of the castle and to their horses, packed and ready. He smiled at how Nightmare still cared for them even though he wasn't coming with them on this trip. No way Ink would have remembered to pack snacks for the horses.

Well, the trip was Dream's idea, but after he told Ink about it he was way too eager to help, so they kind of organized it together. They asked Nightmare and Cross whether they wanted to come with them but it seemed they had other plans already. Dream didn't really mind it, happy to spend this trip together with Ink only.

Dream got into the saddle and waited for Ink to do the same, just smiling like an idiot. They hadn't gone anywhere together like this in quite a while.

“Race to the old tree?”, Ink asked excited, already taking off on his horse.

“Hey, you didn't even give the start sign!”, Dream complained but couldn't stop laughing as he tried to catch up to his lover.

It didn't take him long to catch up to Ink and he waved at him as he passed him, shouting: “Still better than you on horseback, Ink!”

“That's why I tried to get a head-start, Sunshine!”, Ink laughing, pretending to sob a little.

Though, Dream wasn't that mean, so he slowed down a little, just enough for Ink to almost catch up to him. He had no interest in waiting forever for the other once he reached their destination and he also didn't want anything bad happen to the other while he wasn't there to help him.

Having settled on a rather quick pace it didn't take them long to reach the old tree they first found on their trip to the forest with Cross and Nightmare. 

“I was first!”, Dream laughed, getting off his horse and tying it to the three.

“As always”, Ink huffed with a smile, “I really need to train a lot more to get as good as you are.”

“You're the one who always suggests a race”, Dream shrugged. “I told you we could just ride nice and slow.”

“Yeah but where's the fun in that?”, Ink babbled, tying his horse next to Dream's. “I'll never know if I got better when I don't mess with someone who already is a master at crafts!”

Dream chuckled and set the things up for their picnic. _You're just trying to impress me_ , he though. _Though, you already do that with your drawings._

Dream stepped next to Ink who stood a little away from where Dream set up the blanket and took in the sight of the forest just as Ink was. It really was nice how much they could see from the small hill, they were above most of the forest and the sight of the colourful leaves of autumn was really breathtaking.

“Hard to believe it's autumn already”, Dream breathed, his hand searching for Ink's.

“Time really passed so fast these last few months”, Ink agreed, tangling his fingers with Dream's. “It's because I got to spend them with you. No hour is long enough if I can see your smile, hear your laugh..”

Dream blushed and gripped Ink's hand a little tighter. Just hearing the other talk like this, he knew he made the right decision. “It's the same for me”, he said. “I'm glad.. glad I didn't just accept my fate. Things turned out so much better - for all of us, somehow. It still surprises me.”

Ink nodded and hummed, hugging Dream a little closer. “So, are we gonna sit down and eat now?”, he asked.

“Actually”, Dream mumbled, fidgeting with the hem of his tunic. “There's.. one more thing I need to do before.. we start eating..”

Ink looked at him a little confused, waiting for what Dream still wanted to do. 

Dream got down on one knee and pulled a small box from his pocket, opening it to reveal a ring, beautiful shimmering gold just like his eyes and Ink's breath caught in his throat.

"I know it hasn't been that long since we met, but I feel drawn to you more and more with every passing day", Dream said, smiling up at Ink. "You became a part of my life, one I don't want to lose again. I don't want to miss out on your smile, your voice or your happiness even a single day, but I am also willing to share your anger, your sadness and whatever else will still come our way. Will you marry me, Ink?", the prince asked and his smile was so full of love and uncertainty that it drove tears to Ink's eyes.

The artist raised his hands to his face, covering his mouth with both of them while he stuttered: "Y-you didn't actually.. just propose to me?! D-dream, what.. you're a prince! You can't- you can't marry a commoner!"

"Ink..", Dream got up again. Doing his best to hold back his own tears he hugged the other. "Ink, it's okay, I can marry whoever I want! ...It would raise you to be a noble, but that's not what I'm doing this for!" He pulled back to look Ink in the eyes. "Ink, I love you and I want our bond to be official! Though..", he looked down to the side again, sighing, "I do understand if you don't want to. Maybe.. it's too early. Feel free to say no, it won't change a thing."

Ink's expression went blank for a moment as he took in everything he just heard. 

Dream watched in fearful anticipation as Ink's expression vixibly changed once he realized what Dream actually asked of him. Tears spilled out of Ink's eyes once again and he sobbed as he hugged Dream close.

"Oh stars, Dream!", he cried. "Of course I want to marry you! I was just so concerned for your status. What would the court think if you just proposed to some random artist?"

Dream chuckled and kissed Ink on the cheek. "Everything is already talked over with the king", he hummed. "But even if it weren't.. I never wanted to be a prince anyway. All that pomp and circumstances.. it's not for me." Dream shook his head. "No, I'm kind of glad my brother decided to take that role for me. He is by far the better prince out of the two of us."

Dream smiled and shoved the almost forgotten box between the two of them, winding himself out of Ink's hug and getting down on his knee again. "And now", he smiled, taking the ring out of the box, "To make it official.."

Ink trembled as he reached his hand down for Dream to take, feeling the cold matel slip onto his finger.

"My beloved fiancé", Dream whispered as he got up again. "Ink." He took the other's face in between both his hands, caressing his cheeks before he pressed a kiss to Ink's mouth, long and soft and filled with all the love he felt for the other.

And Ink returned the kiss, still tearful but eqaully loving, all the nice, gentle memories he had of the other pouring over him in waves as the realization filled him. They would make their bond official and he would get his fairytale prince. 

"Let's eat", Dream smiled as they pulled away and guided Ink over to the picnic-blanket that lay abandoned during their confessions.

Dream sat down and patted the spot next to him, waiting until Ink sat down before he got a box out of the basked that stood in the middle. He opened it to reveal it was full of doughnuts in all kinds of flavours.

"Doughnuts?", Ink laughed. "Don't tell me.."

Dream laughed, loud and heartly as he pulled out a can filled with apple juice.

"No way", Ink giggled.

"I asked Cross if we could get these organized and honestly, they can make anything in the castle's kitchen", Dream smiled. "I thought.. what better way to spend this day.. than how we spend all our other dates, really."

"You really are something", Ink chuckled, leaning over to kiss Dream.

"That's just why you love me", Dream joked, filling a glass with the juice and handing it to Ink before he filled his own."Let's spend some more time together."

They got back really late in the evening, it was already getting dark and the servants hurried to get their horses in. Nightmare and Cross were waiting at the entrance hall, smiling at the two as they came back.

“I trust everything worked out nicely?”, Nightmare said, a soft smile on his face, his gaze obviously lingering on the ring on Ink's finger.

Dream entangled his fingers with Ink's, smiling. “It did”, he answered. 

“I'm glad for the two of you”, Nightmare smiled.

“I hope we will be invited to the wedding?”, Cross asked jokingly.

“I would be honoured to have his royal highness as a special guest”, Ink joked right back, bowing in an over-exaggerated motion. 

All of them laughed at the funny display and then walked back to their rooms together. 

It had been a nice day indeed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Actually, the next bonus is already the last one out of the things suggested (I think, do tell me if I forgot something) and it'll be smut xD  
> Just a friendly reminder that I'm still taking suggestions for Bonus chapters!


	24. Bonus 4: Crossmare [NSFW!]

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> just smut xD

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> December has been quite stressful and eventful for me, so I completely forgot I had this bonus chapter lying around prove read and ready to upload xD   
> Aaaaah, I'm a mess

As Cross came back from the library, barely managing to open the door with his hands full of books he was mesmerized by the sight that was presented to him. It was already dark outside and a full moon shone down from a cloudless sky, perfectly illuminating the form of Nightmare who stood at the window in his nightgown, looking out. 

Cross placed the books on his table and Nightmare moved a little but didn't turn around.

“Welcome back, Cross”, he said, voice soft and laced with a little tiredness. “Did you get what you were looking for?”

“Hmm? Yeah, I think you will like some of these too”, Cross answered, staying a little behind Nightmare.

Nightmare finally turned around and Cross gasped as he saw the other wore his nightgown still open, his bones shimmering in the scarce light. Nightmare moved towards Cross slowly as if he had something planned but was about to pull back last minute. 

“There's.. something I want, too”, he said and in the light that shone in through the window the blush on his face was clearly visible.

Nightmare stopped right in front of Cross, hands moving up to cup the other's cheeks as he leaned in to kiss his lover. “Let us.. do it again”, he whispered and his ecto-body formed, beautiful shining purple.

Cross was a little taken aback as this was the first time Nightmare asked for it, but he hummed in acknowledgement and leaned down to kiss the other again, slowly moving them over to the bed.

Nightmare refused to get pushed down on it, instead clinging to Cross' clothes, intend on getting him out of them. “Let me.. try something?”, he asked, voice still quite, hushed, but laced with a certainty he never before heard from Nightmare.

“Uh, sure”, Cross said, not knowing what he signed up for, but willing to grant Nightmare this.

“Can you.. lie down on the bed?”, he asked as he finally got Cross out of all his clothes. 

Cross nodded and did as asked, lying down on his back. Nightmare climbed on top of him, wiggling around a little until he found a position he seemed to be okay with. Then he moved his hands down to Cross' pelvis, massaging the bones there a little and Cross moaned at the soft touches.

Knowing Nightmare probably wanted him to form something more tangible, Cross allowed his magic to take form, his penis slowly appearing right in Nightmare's hands. Nightmare gasped a little surprised but quickly regained his composure, this was what he was going for after all. A soft moan escaped him and he guided both his hands up to his mouth, wetting his fingers with his tongue before he brought them down again to wrap them around Cross' dick. 

“H-huh, N-night”, Cross gasped, surprised at the other's actions.

“I-is this.. any good?”, Nightmare asked, a little hesitant.

“S-stars yes, it feels amazing”, Cross breathed. 

“I'm glad”, Nightmare smiled, moving his hands along Cross' length, slowly seeping up his pace. He still wasn't entirely sure what he was doing and it was obvious. Cross almost chuckled but all he managed to press out was a moan as Nightmare suddenly lowered his head and pressed his mouth down on Cross' dick, sticking his tongue out to lick along the head. 

Nightmare let out a soft moan as well as he guided the hand he removed from Cross down to his own entrance, slowly rubbing at it to get it wetter, preparing to take the other in it. Meanwhile he tried out how far into his mouth he could take Cross, whimpering around the other's dick a little as he felt his jaw straining even though he didn't even take half of it.

“Night”, Cross breathed and sat up a little to caress the other's head. “Hey, don't push yourself Nightlight.” He lifted Nightmare's head by putting a hand under his chin. Nightmare reluctantly let Cross pull him off his dick. “What's gotten into you all of a sudden anyway? I mean, I appreciate to see you a little more confident, but this is your first time actually acting on your own and I want it to still be pleasuring for you.”

Nightmare blushed and turned to look to the side. “I-”, he stammered. “I love you and..when we do this.. I can't just.. lie around and do nothing the whole time, right?”

Cross sighed and pulled Nightmare into a hug. “Gods, you are just too cute”, he mumbled, burying his head in the other's neck. “But Nighty, I appreciate that you even let me have sex with you at all, considering all the things you had to witness on your own body in the past. You are enough for me, even if you don't do anything. As long as I can make you feel good, I'm happy.”

“I want you to feel good too”, Nightmare said stubbornly, hugging Cross a little closer.

“I always felt good, every time we did it”, Cross told him. 

“Fine”, Nightmare finally accepted, leaning back a little. 

“Should I take the lead again?”, Cross asked, looking at his lover.

Nightmare smiled a little as he shook his head. “No, let me try some more things.”

“Alright, but please-”

“I'll stop if I feel uncomfortable”, Nightmare reassured Cross.

At that, Cross smiled a little himself and lay back down, waiting for what Nightmare had planned next.

Nightmare ended up settling on licking along Cross' dick, all the was to the tip and back down, curling his soft tongue around the thick member of his partner and Cross moaned at the sensation.

After a little while Nightmare stopped and sat up, moving a little until his entrance hovered above Cross' member.

“A-are you sure about this?”, Cross asked, almost sitting up again to stop the smaller one.

Nightmare just nodded and let himself sink down on the other, moaning as his walls got stretched a little. Cross' eyes widened at how fast Nightmare moved down on him, having gone way slower on him all the times before. Nightmare let out a shriek as he finally got all of Cross into himself and Cross grunted, covering his mouth as he felt Nightmare starting to move, his hands on Cross' stomach.

“N-night, stars, you can go slower, you know?”, he asked, looking up at the smaller one that was bouncing on top of him.

“B-but”, Nightmare hummed, moaning in between words. “But it feel so good! R-right h-hah, right there!”

Cross' whole face lit up in a blush at how lost in pleasure Nightmare was all of a sudden, all shyness seemingly forgotten. He stretched out his arms to touch the other, starting at his shoulders, shrugging off the other's nightgown, slowly rubbing at the other's bones. 

“You're beautiful, Night”, he hummed, looking at the other. “Stars, I love you so much!”

He let his hands move down to the other's ribcage, fingers gingerly touching every lingering scar, tenderly moving over every single rib. “You're perfect just the way you are. Never, never change for anyone but yourself.”

“C-cross”, Nightmare whimpered, tears in his eyes. He leaned down, touching both their head together. _Don't stop_

Cross gave Nightmare a kiss on the head, wrapping his hands around the other, caressing his back, rubbing right where his ecto connected to his bones. 

Nightmare cried out as he came at the sudden, soft touch, a completely new sensation. His whole body was shaking and he collapsed down on Cross, tears falling onto the other's shoulderblade.

“S-sorry”, Nightmare mumbled as it was obvious he wasn't going to get up in the next minutes. “But s-stars, that just felt too good.”

Cross laughed a little, pulling Nightmare up from his dick and placing him next to himself on the bed. He kissed his forehead softly and whispered: “Don't worry too much about it, I was pretty close as well.”

He gathered some tissues from his bedside table and started rubbing his dick with his own hand a few times until he came into the tissues with a low moan. Sighing, he sank down onto the pillow next to Nightmare, cuddling up to him a little. 

They could rest five minutes before they would go to the bathroom to get cleaned.


End file.
